P500-M annual import

JACKFRUIT LOOMS AS NEXT

STAR OF HIGH VALUE CROPS

By Manny Piñol

The lowly “langka” called Jackfruit in English, a fruit tree that is native to the Philippines, India and other Southeast Asian countries, now looms as the next star of the country’s high value crops as demand for the fruit has increased over the years.

The irony of it all is that while the “langka” (artocarpus heterophyllus) naturally grows in the Phiippines, the demand for its sweet and fleshy fruit by food processors has been so tremendous that local farmers could not supply the needed volume resulting in the importation of about P500-M worth of frozen jackfruits every year from Vietnam and Thailand.

“Langka” is used by ice cream processors and the makers of “Turon,” a Filipino delicacy consisting of ‘Saba” banana in flour wrap with a slice of sweet “langka” embedded in the middle of the banana.

Yesterday, Virginia dela Fuente, President of the Mango Growers Federation of the Philippines and an advocate on the promotion of Filipino high-value fruits, visited me in my farm in Paco, Kidapawan City to report to me the problem being encountered by Filipino food processors because of the shortage of “langka.”

I immediately brought her to a portion of my farm where I have planted a few hundred seedlings of the “Abuyog Sweet” variety of “langka” which was developed by the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte.

During one of my visits to Leyte, Agriculture officials introduced the VSU-developed “Abuyog Sweet” by serving me a plateful of the golden fruit and after tasting it, I acquired a few hundred seedlings which I planted in my farm.

It was just pure fancy for the fruit as I have planted so many varieties of fruit trees in my farm in Paco, Kidapawan City since I acquired it in 1993 shortly after resigning from active journalism and leaving Metro Manila for the fresh air of my native province, Cotabato.

For me, the VSU-developed “Abuyog Sweet” variety is the best “langka” because of its firm flesh and sweetness.

I was not the only admirer of the “Abuyog Sweet” jackfruit because when two officials of Delinana Fruits, a sister company of Del Monte, who visited my farm in 2016 tasted the fruit, they asked if the Philippines could produce it in volume so they could include it in the list of the fruits that they will market worldwide.

Somehow, I forgot all about that because I was focused on the more pressing problems in Agriculture which was the production of sufficient rice, fish, meat and other basic commodities.

It was not until yesterday when Virgie dela Fuente’s visit reminded me of the need to plant more Jackfruits.

This fits well with the program that we are implementing now in the Department of Agriculture which encourages farmers living in mountainous or sloped and undulating areas to plant fruit trees instead of cash crops to prevent landslides and soil erosion.

The new thrust in Agricultural Planning introduces the planting of high value fruit trees like Cacao, Coffee and the Mexican Hash Avocado and trees like Falcata and Gmelina in mountainous, sloping and undulating areas to address the problems caused by soil erosion due to the planting of cash crops.

With this development now, the DA regional offices will be directed to establish clonal gardens for the outstanding “VSU Abuyog Sweet” varieties so that regional nurseries could share the scions to nursery operators in their areas.

Back here in Kidapawan City, I will encourage nursery operators to acquire scions from the few hundred “Abuyog Sweet” Jackfruits that I have in my farm so that other farmers could have access to the outstanding variety which promises additional income.

Yesterday, I realized once again the many blessings that God has showered on this country but which we have ignored or neglected for so long.

#PhilippinesIsBlessed!

#Changeishere!

#DuterteDelivers!

(First photo shows me with fruit industry advocate Virginia dela Fuente, DA XII Director Milagros Casis and TESDA Director Efren Piñol beside the 18-month-old “Abuyog Sweet” Jackfruit trees in my farm. Other photo shows Delinana Executives David Chincilla, Danilo Roman and Almario Dacono enjoying the “Abuyog Sweet.” Other photos of the Jackfruit were downloaded from public websites.)