Businesses producing value-added salted plums in Ngathayauk Town of NyaungU District are doing well financially, said U Thein Swe, a salted plum business owner.
“Our family has been running a salted plum business for 40 years. Ripe plums are picked between December and March, and sour plums are processed into salted plums. Plum trees are found growing naturally in the tropical regions of Myanmar, and there is no plum cultivation in the central regions of the country. The residents here mostly depend on crop cultivation as the main source of livelihood. The plums collecting is good side jobs for extra income and the plums are sold for K,3000 per basket,” said U Soe Naing, a farmer from Sintharmhway Village.
“There are three steps involved in processing raw plums to make value-added salted plums. First, plums are sun dried because well dried plums can be stored for a long time. Then, plum seeds are grounded into powder. Finally, the plum powder is mixed with palm sugar, salt, and other fruit powders. After processing, packets of value-added salted plums are mainly distributed to Hpa-an, Mawlamyine, Thaton, and Mogok towns,” said a salted plum business owner.
Salted plum products can be regarded as the regional products of the central region of Myanmar, and business owners are earning well on a manageable scale. — Ko Htain (Ngathayauk)
(Translated by La Wonn)
