As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, many people are paying increased attention to their health and well-being. Due to the crop’s anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Nantou County’s Mingjian Township has experienced a surge in the planting of turmeric for medicinal use. The area set aside in the township to grow turmeric has doubled in size, and orders for turmeric powder are coming in from as far away as the US. Mingjian Township is the center of ginger and turmeric production in Taiwan, both of which have become highly sought after by people trying to protect themselves from the virus.
Mingjian Township farmers mainly used to grow only two crops in the area’s unique red-colored soil, ginger and Chinese yam, but have now added turmeric to the list. Nantou County farmer Hsieh Jui-yu says that since many Westerners eat wheat products as their staple food, he had already been fulfilling orders for turmeric flour for many years. However, Hsieh says it was only after the novel coronavirus outbreak that sales of turmeric power really began to take off. Orders to the US, Europe and South East Asian countries have exploded, making it impossible to keep up with demand, Hsieh says.
Hsieh says that he originally planted four hectares of turmeric, but as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, this year he plans to plant another two hectares, increasing turmeric production to a total of six hectares on his farm. There are currently approximately 150 hectares of land in the township set aside for ginger production, making Mingjian the crown jewel of Taiwan’s ginger growing industry.
Photo: Hsieh Chieh-yu, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者謝介裕
Hsieh holds a doctorate from National Chung Hsing University’s of Department of Agronomy and, in addition to working as a farmer, Hsieh is also an assistant professor at China Medical University and specialises in research into turmeric. Hsieh says that according to international medical research, turmeric is able to suppress influenza, enteroviruses, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. There is also evidence that consumption of turmeric can help to reduce inflammation and regulate the body’s immune system, which is one reason the crop has received so much attention during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hsieh says.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
武漢肺炎疫情讓大家更注重養生保健，因為薑黃素有良好的抗氧化和抗發炎功效，南投縣名間鄉掀起種植「薑黃」藥用植物風潮，目前種植面積增加約一倍，連美國也下單訂購薑黃粉，而名間生薑產量也是全台之冠，雙薑成為防疫搶手貨。
Photo: Hsieh Chieh-yu, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者謝介裕
名間鄉特有紅色土壤以往以種植生薑、山藥為主，現又多了「薑黃」。南投薑農謝瑞裕表示，西方人多半愛好麵食，長期都有薑黃麵訂單，惟疫情發生以來，薑黃粉外銷歐美、東南亞國家的訂單大幅增加，供不應求。
他原本種植薑黃的面積僅四公頃，因疫情發生以來，今年便將耕種面積再增加兩公頃，合計達六公頃之多。名間種植生薑面積約一百五十公頃，居全台之冠。
畢業於國立中興大學農藝學系博士班的謝瑞裕，不但是農夫，同時也在中國醫藥大學擔任助理教授，且是研究薑黃的專家，他說，根據國際醫學研究，發現薑黃素可抑制流感、腸病毒、愛滋病毒等病毒的活性，且可抗發炎並調節人體免疫力，也是薑黃在防疫期間受大家青睞的主因。
(自由時報記者謝介裕)
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