Pioneer in trade of Malunggay tea and oil says
gov’t must back Natural Ingredients production

THE Philippines can be a major supplier of raw materials for the world’s natural ingredients industry but government must provide ample investment and protection to keep enterprises engaged in promoting such economic activity, a Filipino entrepreneur said yesterday.

Danilo Manayaga, president of Secura Philippines, Inc and Secura International Inc. reminded the government to invest more in research and development to develop crops and plant varieties that produce more nutrients and natural ingredients in demand by both cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Manayaga suggested that a regulatory process be established to guide the planting and propagation of crops and plants that have great potentials in the largely competitive trade in natural ingredients.

“The presence of regulations or standards like the prohibition of the use of pesticides on crops grown locally would improve the confidence of foreign importers,” he said.

Manayaga said government must restrict the importation and planting of imported varieties to maintain the quality and integrity of local crops and plants.

He added that such stringent restrictions are the key to safeguarding the purity of the country’s malunggay, which yields better nutrients like vitamin A, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium and good cholesterol than similar plants anywhere in the world.

This is similar to the superiority of local garlic over the same product propagated in Taiwan and other countries.

Secura has been offering contract to grow malunggay for more than a year but has yet to secure adequate supply from growers. The company processes dehydrated malunggay leaves for tea and additives for other medicinal plants.

“We are involved with contract growers from different towns and all over the country like Valencia in Negros Oriental, Masinloc and Botolan inm Zamgales, Alaminos and Infanta in Pangansinan and Bamban in Tarlac. They account for 150 hectares of land that supplies our market. It is not enough to sustain the demand for other products like  Moringa or malunggay oil,” he added.

Manayaga said Secura needs at least 20,000 hectares to be able to supply the market for malunggay products like the leaves for food fortification and animal feeds, moringa oil from its seeds for cosmetics and as edible oil, and moringa seed-cake extracts for water treatment.

“The market is there but there is simply no supply to sustain it,” he said.

Currently, scientists are eyeing to conduct clinical trials of malunggay, known as the “poor man’s vegetable,” because of its agribusiness potentials. 

The DA – Biotechnology Program Office headed by Director Alicia Ilaga, together in partnership with the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is currently promoting Malunggay’s agri-business potentials by encouraging farmers to plant what it described as “miracle tree” for backyard, as well as commercial production, to increase farmers’ incomes. 

“The government, through the agriculture department and its regulatory agencies needs to ensure that foreign importers get local high-quality products from our indigenous crops,” he said. (biolife news service)