MEDICINAL PLANTS (1)

The processing medicinal plants into various medicines and supplements is an emerging industry in the Province of Iloilo. Every time a trade fare is organized, there are a few entrepreneurs displaying their products both to expose them and to sell. We have interviewed a few of these, one of them a retired nun and they all claim that business is booming. Indeed so because of the growing awareness of people for natural cures and due to new discoveries that chemical-based medicines have side effects in the human body.

Long before there was the western medicine which they now call conventional, there were the “herbolarios” to whom the community went for cures to their ailments. Their treatments were a combination of herbs and divination for which the latter is to create the mystery of getting back wellness and health. In the recent past, people scoffed at herbolarios as nothing but quacks. But when the west started their own revolutions on natural medicines and even branched into the other cultures' forms like the Chinese traditional medicine, Ayurveda and others, the word “quack” was finally erased and exchanged for “traditional”.

Herbs and other organic sources of medicines and supplements had been with us since the start of human civilization. Many of the modern plants we now use in the kitchen had evolved from its wild state because of constant use not only as spice, food item but also as medicines. Garlic for example, had evolved from its marble sized form to become fist sized because of the demand. Yet the marble sized variety is still the backbone of those who use it as medicine. At present, there are so many uses of garlic and its many forms ranging from capsules to cap-gel and even powder and tablet is being promoted as a heart-strengthening supplement. It is no longer a backyard or small industry. Giant multi-nationals have taken over to produce this much in demand herb.

The turmeric that we know as kalawag is also a large industry raw material. While we, Ilonggos, have relegated this rhizome as the spice for arroz a al valencia or valenciana and kare-kare, the Indians and Thais have built large processing plants concentrating on turmeric and produced many products for the supplements market. This is due to the findings that goes way back that Indians have very low incidence of stomach cancer back home but the rate is high for those based in Western countries. The findings indicate that the rate is directly proportional to the shift in food preferences where these Indians have relied mostly on western food and limited their intake of traditional Indian food rich in curry powder for which turmeric is one of the main ingredients.

On the local front, ampalaya is now a major industry which also paved the way for the economic growth of several companies. When it was confirmed by the Department of Health that indeed there is basis for amplalaya in diabetes therapy, these companies entered the market with many forms of products, ranging from tea to capsules. Now it's malunggay's turn. There is an emerging market for moringa which is now documented as the most potent source of anti-oxidants and better than its western counterparts like broccoli and crucifers. Many companies and entrepreneurs have already jumped into the supplements market bandwagon based on moringa.

There are many other herbs and plants that have potentials to become multimillion dollar industries. DOH has already approved ten local medicinal plants for various ailments. Lagundi which is being promoted as anti-cough and anti-asthma is very effective to the extent that it had been targeted by advertisements of solmux because it had eaten a large percentage of the market once dominated by this chemical-based product. Personally, I have quit on solmux more than ten years ago when after one month of taking it, I wasn't relieved of my severe cough. It only took me 5 days of therapy using both caplets of Lagundi and kettles of fresh lagundi tea for my cough to be cured. Since then I never took a single pill of Solmux. It is sad that this idiot Vic Sotto should insinuate that solmux is better than lagundi.

One thing about medicinal plants is that they can be grown in one's yard, be it front or back. They can also be made ornamental like the Orthosiphon spp. Otherwise known as the balbas pusa because its white flowers resembles the cat's whiskers. It has been found to be good as diuretic but others claim that it is also good for coughs. Planted in pots or grown as part of the landscape, balbas pusa can be both be an ornamental and a source of tea leaves. Indeed, medicinal plants have come a long way from being relegated as a quack doctor's medicine to become mainstream. (To be continued)

VEGETABLES FARMING (6): MIXED CROP AND ORGANIC FARMING METHODS

We would like to end this series with a concluding article on the organic and integrated approaches to vegetable farming. With people's growing awareness on the benefits of organic and pesticide free food, there is opportunity in farming organic vegetables and crops. There is also the trend for integrated farming where any given farm is planted to varied species and even the integration of animals into the system both as income addition and as source of another valuable resource: manure which is used as fertilizers.

Just recently, a semester-long training on organic vegetable farming was conducted in Leon by the Iloilo Provincial Agriculture Office in cooperation with the SM Foundation, Harbest Agribusiness, Department of Agriculture RFU 6 and several other agencies and institutions. It aimed to transfer organic farming technologies to farmer-trainees. It was a hands-on training that enabled them to learn first hand the various technologies related to organic vegetable farming. At the end of the course, the trainees were also able to harvest their first crop of organic lettuce some of which also ended up sold in Iloilo City where consumers gladly grabbed at these safe and healthier vegetables.

Decidedly, organic farming would offer countless benefits compared to conventional farming. When we say conventional farming, we mean that this is the type where chemicals are widely used, from soil preparation such as disinfection to chemical sprays on the vegetables to kill or control insect pests. In cases where the vegetables had been infected with diseases, fungicides which are also toxic to humans are also sprayed just to arrest the spread of the fungus in the various parts of the plants.

While the common perception is that organic farming methods revolve around the use of organic fertilizers, the more complex and complete approach is that the whole farming system is revolutionized or re-engineered. Starting with a farm plan where the farmer modifies and improves his system so that he stops or minimizes his reliance on chemicals and external inputs, he also executes a farm calendar where his varied vegetable species and strains are planted by schedule and at a specific location within the farm. Thus, he not only introduces symbiosis and crop complementing to minimize on costs for maintenance and control of pests and diseases, but he also implements crop succession so that he earns regularly from his farm.

A common system in organic and mixed vegetable crop farming is the simultaneous planting of legumes and non-legumes. For example, some farmers lay out permanent rows of malunggay and in between, he alternates the planting of crucifers (cabbage family including lettuce) and bushy legumes like sitao, cowpea, munggo, etc. The malunggay, being a legume provides nitrogen in the soil and it also serves as trellis for viny crops like pole sitao, patani, squash and amargoso.

A mixed system is several times more productive than a single crop system. Another advantage of a mixed crop is that the many kinds of vegetables planted enables the farmer to earn regularly and fast. For example, a 1,000 sq meter vegetable farm of mixed vegetables using organic farming culture would have daily, weekly and monthly income streams, if the mix of crops include balunggay, tagabang, kangkong, camote leaves, alugbati, lettuce, winged beans, squash, etc. Daily income would come from balunggay, camote, tagabang, alugbati and kangkong. Periodic income would come from lettuce, winged beans, squash and other fruiting vegetables. And it the farmer incorporates fruit trees like langka and otehrs, then he has a source of income for the long term.

The rule of thumb for integrated farming is to plant as many types in an area. The farmer should plan what types to plant for the short, medium and long terms so that by the time the long term crops are productive, he would already take it easy and retire on the fruits of these long term crops. For those interested to learn more, please visit my blogsite: http://larry-simplybusiness.blogspot.com.

VEGETABLES: SUB-TEMPERATE VS. INDIGENOUS (5):

 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.

VEGETABLES: SUB-TEMPERATE VS. INDIGENOUS (4)

 THE PROFITABILITY OF CAULIFLOWER FARMING

Just today we met representatives of Ramgo Seeds Corporation, namely Ramsey Fernando and Alfred June Dadal, both coming from my hometown Dingle. They presented their line of vegetable seeds to technical people of the High Value Crops Section of the Crops Division of the Iloilo Provincial Office. These two Ramgo technical men were discussing the merits of their varied lines of vegetable seeds to Mrs. Sherlita Duero and Mr. Leonardo Geraldino.

I got interested in their cauliflower hybrid since their brochure stated that the farmer can earn in as little as 67 days from seed planting. Albarich 45 is the particular cauliflower hybrid I am interested in. It is claimed that its yield potential is over 20 metric tons per hectare and that it is ideal for rainy or wet seasons in the lowlands. If this is so, then lowland farmers who have small dry-land areas can have a sideline short term crop.

The farmer needs an investment of about P200,000.00 per hectare. But the returns are high- at P45.00 per kilogram ex-farm and an average yield of 20,000 kilograms of curds (the term used for the edible portion of cauliflowers), a farmer would be able to gross P900.000.00 per hectare. Of course, he would find some marketing problems if he grows that much since the local market can probably absorb only a fraction of that volume. A prudent or wise farmer however would grow just a fraction of a hectare to earn extra while he waits for his main crops. And even if the farm gate price would drop to )35.00 per kilogram, still the farmer would have a sizable income if he plants this crop commercially.

For small scale farmers tilling 1,000 square meters of vegetables, especially those practicing integration, cauliflower farming can be profitable, much more so if he adopts organic methods. Ramsey and Alfred say that an intensively farmed 1,000 sq. meters would be able to achieve the average yield recorded for Albarich 45 and with the right marketing program, the 2,000 kilograms or so of the curds can be sold easily and would gross about P90,000.00 from an investment of P20,000 to P30,000.00. Thus the least net income for the farmer in less than three months would be about P50,000 to P60,000.

However, like all crucifers, cauliflower and broccoli are susceptible to plant pests and diseases. Like its cousins, cabbages, pechay, and kale, they are attacked by leaf eating worms and beetles that they need to be continuously sprayed with pesticides. While there are now pesticides with low mammalian toxicity, still these poisons have residual effects on humans.

So if one were to engage in cauliflower farming, one needs to plan well: from production to marketing. Production-wise the farmer should plan his farm lay-out his cropping pattern and calendar and his over-all technology so that he would minimize the use of pesticides and fungicides. He should also invest in new technology such as the use of plastic mulch so that he can lower his cost of labor mainly on weeding and other labor intensive activities.

By using integration technologies, a cauliflower farm can also minimize pests as well as earn from companion crops such as lemon grass and balunggay, which are favorites of Ilonggos. Shallots or leaf onions can also be planted on the sides of the plots.

Yes sub-temperate crops are also good income streams for farmers especially the small ones but the initial capital needed may become a big limiting factor. The farmer needs only to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to firm up his decision. (To be continued).

VEGETABLES: SUB-TEMPERATE VS. INDIGENOUS (3)

Indigenous and endemic tropical vegetables gained more attention in this past decade because of the natural shift from total reliance in western medicines towards natural and even native or indigenous cures. Some of these local vegetables became million dollar industries because it was discovered that they were a safer alternative to the conventional western medicines. Such was the case of ampalaya (Momordica charantia) which became an instant celebrity in the field of herbal medicines.

No other vegetables can match the blood sugar lowering and tonic properties of ampalaya. This previously low key fruit vegetable known for its bitter taste which is hated by children suddenly gained so much attention that its price in the market had gone up and its demand year-round. A 1,000 square meter farm would enable the farmer to make enough money to match the profitability of one (1) hectare of rice farm. Depending on the variety, ampalaya would yield between 20 to 60 metric tons per hectare from the start of fruiting until senility which happens after about three (3) months. Thus, the 1,000 sq. meters would yield between 2 to 6 metric tons which if sold at P12.00 per kilogram would gross between P24,000 to P54,000.00. Still the farmer can plant other crops under the trellises for ampalaya, particularly ginger, turmeric and gabi.

An entrepreneur however should plan for his ampalaya crop. If his purpose is the fresh fruit market, he should look for hybrid varieties which bear large and long fruits profusely because weight is the prime consideration for this type of market. These high yield large fruited hybrids are also attractive to buyers.

But if one's purpose is the specialized market as nutraceutical or as medicinal product, one should look for the prolific but short and bitter-tasting varieties which have also been improved by seed-selling companies. These bitter varieties may be lower yielding but they are higher priced because they are sought after by supplements manufacturers. Some ampalaya consumers also seek these types because they like it cooked together with other vegetables in the favorite medley called pinakbet.

At present, processed forms, particularly capsules, tea bags, and even dehydrated fruits proliferate in the local market. Aside from local producers, the market is also swamped with imported processed products coming from other Asian countries like Viet Nam, Thailand and China. Japan made products however cost more than the imports from other countries, mainly due to the cost of production and the import taxes imputed. Whichever form or origin, charantia products are said to be effective for the purpose of regulating one's blood sugar level.

Balunggay (Moringa Oleifera) gained worldwide attention when research findings indicated that it contained more anti-oxidants and medicinal properties than other popular vegetables. At present, moringa is made into many kinds of products and marketed as a medicinal supplement both for prevention and cure of a variety of maladies. This lowly vegetable which was once called the poor man's broccoli can stand on its own. Health experts say that on a weight for weight basis, it contains more nutrients than any of the greens available in the vegetable market.

Like ampalaya, balunggay can be farmed commercially especially if one is near the city or urban markets where demand for leafy greens is high. The only disadvantage of balunggay is its keeping quality because it easily withers when exposed. But vendors say there are ways to preserve the leaves until the late afternoon so the market year-round for this vegetable is stable.

Like ampalaya, balunggay can become the main crop in an integrated vegetable farm. The trees can be planted as a main crop on spacings of 1 x 1 meter along the rows and with 2 meters row distance to allow the farmer to plant greens like camote, alugbati, lettuce, pechay and leaf onions (shallots). This way the land is maximized. Farmers can also earn as much from a 1,000 sq. meters land area as they would on a hectare of rice, if they have a system and a ready market for all the crops planted.

As in the previous installments of this series on vegetables, indigenous species can be better than the much touted sub-temperate types. It is however the western influence that has prevented us Filipinos, especially us Ilonggos to explore extensively the merits of our native species. As we progress on this series, we will gradually present countless studies where we Asians have contracted many of the lifestyle disease mainly because of our shift from our traditional food systems towards western fat rich and less fiber diets. (To be continued).

VEGETABLES: SUB-TEMPERATE VS. INDIGENOUS (2)

Our western orientation after several centuries of colonization and the influence of media is responsible for the seeming predisposition for most to prefer sub-temperate vegetables over the indigenous vegetables. Chinese cooking which prefers to use cabbage, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower further cultivated the minds of Filipinos to shift from indigenous vegetables to these sub-temperate vegetables.

Had it not for the initiatives of Department of Health secretaries like Juan Flavier and some of his successors, studies on the superiority of local vegetables could not have been discovered. Intensive studies into the nutritive and health values of these vegetables were also established later. Even deep into the 1990s, we still believed that broccoli is the only super-food available. It was only in the early 2000s that it was established that moringa or the balunggay that we know is far more important than any vegetable available worldwide.

Decades ago, we were led to believe that vegetable farming is all about growing cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce and other crops whose seeds have to be imported. These crops were also resource hungry, meaning that you need some capital to engage in it. Farmers especially in Baguio and Kanlaon are often in the strangle hold of financiers who are also the middlemen who dictate on the price and volume that they can deliver. These farmers are therefore helpless and cannot get out of the debt cycle.

The new awareness that indigenous vegetables are as nutritious as its exotic counterparts has resulted to the acceptance of our native species. Now, farming malunggay, camote and alugbati is as profitable as planting cabbage and pechay. However, planting native vegetable has a surplus- one need not buy seeds and other expensive inputs like insecticides as these species are often tolerant to pests and can survive in weather conditions that would stress exotic species.

Comparatively, a farmer who would grow indigenous vegetables on a 1,000 sq meters area would be able to earn at least P3,000 per month. Growing a mix of malunggay, leaf camote, alugbati, string beans or winged beans and planned in such a way that he would be able to harvest daily from this mix of vegetables, he would be able to earn enough to provide food on the table and send his children to school. He can also add periodically harvested fruit and root vegetables like squash and gabi so that he would have some sort of windfall timed for enrollment and graduations. This farm model had been adopted by many farmers in the remaining farm areas of Iloilo City whose daily routine is to harvest these vegetables in the afternoon, sort and pack them late into the night and deliver them early to the terminal or central markets of the city.

We also had the chance of visiting and helping farmers in the municipalities of Cabatuan and Janiuay. In the western part of Cabatuan, particularly the barangays of Akao and Ito, string beans farming is a way of life. The would farmers would plant rice in rainfed farms in the wet seasons but the paddies were deliberately made small with dikes wide and just elevated enough to provide water to the growing rice crop. Their money earners which are the string beans are planted on the dikes and these are harvested daily and shipped to Iloilo City in jeep loads.

Janiuay is famous for its eggplants and gabi. In dry lands and river banks, eggplants are planted commercially but the fringes are also developed into tagabang gardens. Like their Cabatuan counterparts, the Janiuay farmers also harvest in the afternoon, pack their crops immediately and ship early the next day.

If one were to visit these areas, one would see that the majority of houses are made of concrete and roofed with GI sheets. The prosperity brought by farming indigenous vegetables enabled these farmers to feed their families well and send them to school where they took up lucrative courses like seamanship and marine engineering that earned them dollars. Many of the children are also OFWs mostly nurses that earned well in other countries.

Yes farming indigenous vegetables may even be more profitable than engaging in sub-temperate crops. The income stream is much more varied and the risks are lower since one can spread them to various species, all of which are resistant and even higher priced. (To be continued).

ILOILO RIVER: KAHIGKU SANG SUBA