MANILA, Philippines–The propagation of malunggay is seen as the best solution to ending the heated food versus fuel debate, according to a senior agriculture official.
Alicia Ilaga, director of the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office, said the so-called miracle plant is the only plant that can provide both biofuel and food at the same time. This versatile tree, in fact, is already attracting a slew of local and foreign investors because of its various uses.
“It’s both for food and fuel. We eat the leaves and we can use the seeds for fuel,” Ilaga explained.
As biofuel feedstock, Ilaga says malunggay seeds can produce up to 40 percent oil. This means that a kilo of seeds from the malunggay pods would yield 400 milliliters of oil, which can be used either for cooking or as substitute for diesel.
From a hectare of land planted to malunggay, about 20,000 kilos of seeds could be collected. This translates to some 8,000 liters of oil, worth some P200,000 if processed properly, according to the DA.
Ilaga stressed that malunggay’s high oil recovery rate was a big plus, prompting foreign investors to look more closely into the possibility of developing 500,000 ha of land in various terrain for malunggay cultivation.
With oil hitting $120 a barrel, advocates are pushing for the massive cultivation of malunggay and the collection of mature seeds nationwide.
To date, a total of 300,000 ha of land have been devoted to malunggay, from which local firm Secura International will produce malunggay oil.
Clients in the United States, however, are reportedly demanding that 200,000 ha be added to enable the firm to meet growing requirements for the oil, Ilaga said.
Secura president Danilo Manayaga is confident about the future of the malunggay oil, as he predicted that within the next few years, demand would be coming in from the Korean Peninsula and Japan, both of which are gunning for alternatives to fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, malunggay leaves were found to have seven times the Vitamin C found in oranges, four times the calcium and twice the protein found in milk, 75 percent of the iron in spinach, 400 percent more Vitamin A than carrots and thrice the potassium in bananas.
It even has copper and all the essential amino acids, Ilaga explained.
With a huge amount of micronutrients in malunggay, its leaves have been used to fortify soups and sauces, breads, biscuits, burgers, hotdogs and instant noodles. There are also several types of malunggay tea in the market and soon, malunggay juice may be available to consumers.
As herbal supplement, malunggay comes in capsule form to supply consumers with the micronutrients they need.
With reports from India affirming the capability of malunggay to increase sperm count and motility, which increases the likelihood of fertilizing the ovum, adult males have been encouraged to eat malunggay to improve their virility.
“There can also be no argument against malunggay as competing for scarce land since the tree had been grown in the country since prehistoric times and had not stolen a single square meter of soil where rice is cultivated,” Ilaga stressed.
Moreover, malunggay grows in abundance anywhere, particularly in hilly areas where it does not compete with regular food crops, she added.
