IPOMEA FARMING
Weird sounding word for a crop may be, but Ipomea is simply the scientific name of the family of plants where camote and kangkong belong. Kangkong is Ipomea aquatica and camote is Ipomea batatas. Like cauliflower, the vegetable crop I wrote about last issue, kangkong and camote farming is as profitable. The main advantage however, is that the investment for the said crop crops is rather low and one can easily start immediately and on small areas too. There are many small gardeners in the city and province who are earning well in small gardens planting upland kangkong and leaf camote in their garden plots and in small diked lowland farms using the aquatic type of kangkong.
Kangkong has already “arrived” as a vegetable. Once regarded as poor family's stable vegetable because they can be gathered anywhere, kangkong can already be found even in plush restaurants and served in many creative dishes that one even wonders at the genius behind those recipes. But whether kangkong is cooked as the main viand for the poor family or to be served as a high priced menu, the vegetable is as nutritious as other greens several times more expensive.
A 100 gram serving of kangkong will supply about 3 grams of protein, 0.3grams of fats,5 grams of carbohydrates, up to 1,000 international units of Vitamin A, up to 130 mg of Vitamin C, substantial levels of calcium and magnesium as well as other trace minerals. That mix of nutrients makes kangkong more nutritious than most vegetables, despite its high moisture content.
Camote leaves also compares well with kangkong in nutritive values. However red and dark leafed varieties top all other leafy vegetables in anti-oxidant properties. The red pigment in camote and other vegetables are said to help in immune system strengthening. Anthocyanins or the red pigments had been established both in the laboratories and actual experiences as potent food to help in cancer and tumor treatments.
A farmer in Tagbak, Jaro plants 1,000 sq. meters of kangkong using the upland variety developed by the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center. Seeds are commercially available in seed stores in the province and city of Iloilo usually in cans but one can also buy by the packets but the sales personnel should be asked when they were repacked to determine viability or germination percentage. If one wants to save on the inputs, he can also use the cuttings from the plants which he can plant at the spacings of 10 cm by 10 cm so that he can harvest on an all-in-all-out method. This means that at full vegetative stage, everything is cut except the main stem which is left about 5-6 inches off the ground.
Leaf camote or camote planted for its leaves is grown almost the same way. One need not invest in seedlings for camote however. Just look for outstanding varieties especially the deeply colored or red types which are very salable since people are already aware of the merits of red colored vegetables. These cuttings can be planted in 10 x 10 cm distance too.
Both plants can be fertilized with chemical fertilizers like 14-14-14 and 21-0-0 at the rate of 2p-30 grams weekly throughout their life which is about one year before they are changed to another location or replanted in the same plot. This way, the potential yield is maintained and regular harvesting can be made.
According to this farmer, his 1,000 sq meters of kangkong farm earns him an average of P500 to P6000 every week. He cuts 100-120 square meters in the late afternoon, sorts and tie them up until late in the evening and delivers them to the Iloilo Terminal at 2:00 am. By cutting in the late afternoon, he preserves the freshness up to delivery time while the vendors there have their own methods of preserving their vegetables. Both camote and kangkong are Ilonggo favorites that is why one seldom sees wilted kangkong and camote leaves because of the demand.
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