OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES CONFRONTING HIGH-VALUE FRUIT FARMERS IN MINDANAO

DURING OUR TOUR of leading farms producing high-value fruits in Davao City early last September, we were able to gather valuable insights on the opportunities and challenges confronting the industry. We particularly met producers of durian, pomelo, cacao, longkong lanzones, mangosteen, and marang.

- Zac B. Sarian

DURIAN PROSPECTS - There are bright prospects in durian production but there are also serious challenges that have to be addressed. Larry Miculob who owns a 16-hectare orchard of mainly durian trees revealed that there is a big and growing market abroad. China, he said, is a huge and hungry market for fresh durian fruit.

At present, Thailand and Malaysia are the two major suppliers of durian to China. One thing going great for the Philippines is that the peak durian season here is when the season in Thailand and Malaysia is already over. The peak period in the two neighbor countries is from June to August while that in the Philippines is from August to October. As such, the durian from the Philippines can fill the void when there is no more supply from Thailand and Malaysia.

Larry also observes a big potential market in the Philippines. As of now, he estimates that as much as 70 percent of Filipinos still don’t eat durian. However, more and more are learning to like eating the exotic fruit, especially in Luzon.

To take advantage of the expanding market, production of high quality fruits in commercial volume is a must. The problem today, according to Larry, is that most durian farms are small. As such, the fruits available are variable. To command a high price, the fruits should be uniform in eating quality, size, and maturity. Investors should be encouraged to establish plantations growing recommended varieties in big volume. The Puyat variety is recommended for large scale planting because it is high-yielding and it has good eating quality. Another superior variety is Duyaya developed by the late Severino Belviz.