[ Manila Bulletin Online ] May 28, 2008
To tap fruit’s economic and tourism potential
Melody M. Aguiba
The economic and tourism potential for the uniquely Filipino fruit "makapuno" coconut fruit is being tapped by the provincial government of Bohol.
Bohol Governor Enrico Augmentado has expressed interest to put up a makapuno plantation in Bohol as the province can both richly grow the palm and sell off its produce right to tourists visiting its caves and beaches.
A 2,000-palm makapuno plantation is already standing in a Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) government farm in Ubay, Bohol.
The makapuno palms, all hybrid varieties, can be grown to produce one pure breed makapuno out of five nuts per palm each month.
And a 100 percent makapuno nut can be a source of seedling for a makapuno plantation that can produce 100 percent makapuno since all of the trees will be the ones pollinating each other.
However, the development of the seedling needs one technology that is fortunately already present in the Philippines — the embryo culture technology (ECT) — and which has not yet been adopted by other coconut-producing countries.
Dr. Erlinda P. Rillo, managing director of Puro Makapuno Inc. (PMI), said that makapuno and its delicacies have big markets abroad. Makapuno is the country’s sixth largest nontraditional export (which includes glycerin, shampoo, virgin coconut oil, nata de coco, and milk powder).
"We can’t import it anywhere. If there’s any country in the world that should export it, it’s the Philippines. We should do it now or others will get ahead of us," said Rillo, also former PCA tissue culture chief, in an interview.
As of August 2007, makapuno export doubled to 68 metric tons (MT) from 32 MT the previous year of which 19 MT went to the United States; 10 MT, United Arab Emirates; and seven MT, Canada. Other markets were Saudi Arabia, England, Qatar, and 18 other countries that bought 18 MT.
But what the Philippines needs are entrepreneurs who would be willing to wait three to four years until the trees begin fruiting after planting them. Characterized by its specially tender fiber, makapuno, an important coconut mutant from the Philippines, has soft endosperm that almost fills the nut cavity.
A 1,000-hectare plantation will be ideal in Bohol which should go with an ECT laboratory and a processing plant which basically involves grating and preserving the coconut meat and packing it.
Filipino companies like Rookie’s Food and Davao Tribu (which supplies halohalo ingredients to a fast food chain) are also beginning to realize the potential of makapuno. Davao Tribu hopes to put up a 50hectare makapuno plantation after inaugurating last June 7 a 200-seedling farm.
But another big prospect may be for giant food company San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to enter into this business to supply its makapuno requirement for ice cream products.
"MR. (SMC Chairman Eduardo) Cojuangco has long been interested in it, but they wanted it in tons (which cannot be delivered)," she said.
PMI, which is running an ECT in Los Banos and a processing plant, hopes to have partners in other potential investors like Dalisay Foods, Kayumanggi, and Pacific Isles which are into fruit preserve export.
Makapuno has high commercial value for pastry, ice cream, food (as thickening and gelling agent) and pharmaceutical, medical, personal care, and cosmetic applications.
It can well be marketed as a health food with its important nutrients. It has 58 milligram (mg) calcium for every 100 gram edible portion, 59 mg phosphorus, 8 mg ascorbic acid, 1.4 mg iron, 0.6 mg niacin, 0.02 mg thiamine, 0.02 mg riboflavin, and eight mg ascorbic acid.
The international market consisting of 1.5 billion nuts involve 831 million gallons of ice cream, 52 million gallons of sherbet and 82 million gallons of yogurt while a 4.061 million-kilo local market is in Nestle-Magnolia, and Selecta.
Red Ribbon needs 3,700 kilos yearly, maybe more since this was an old data, for its cakes; YES ExportImport, 13,840 kilos, and Shimmen Food, 15,386 kilos for bottled makapuno.
The country needs around 2,000 hectares of makapuno plantation with around 100 trees each to supply projected requirements. An estimated 95,000 embryo-cultured seedlings are still needed to meet the demand as there is a gap of four million kilos of meat yearly.
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