Passionfruit

TUPI, South Cotabato – Passionfruit growers in this municipality are taking advantage of the revenue-earning opportunities and low production costs of the fruit, and are now expanding production to supply the growing demand of large fruit-processing firms in Mindanao.

Tupi passionfruit growers are expanding production within the season of July to October to come up with a consolidated volume to fill the requirements of their biggest buyer, Profood International Corp.

The growers formed an association, with the assistance of the USAID-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program through its Targeted Commodity Expansion Program (TCEP), to cope with the demand for the fruit more efficiently.

The association is composed of more than 75 growers who have 9,590 existing plants and 3,657 new plants of passionfruit. An additional 21,058 plants will be farmed by mid-June this year. With one plant producing about 30 kilos of fruit, the association is expected to produce more than 1,000 metric tons next year – equivalent to more than P8 million at P8 per kilo.

Profood is one of the largest tropical fruit puree and dried fruit processors in the country and exports 80 percent of its products to Europe, Canada, the Middle East, the United States and Asia. "Profood is looking for a reliable source of passionfruit, and Tupi has the capability to produce large volumes. This arrangement will be beneficial to both farmers and buyers and assure them of better incomes," explains Agnes Luz, GEM agribusiness specialist.

"The passionfruit is a very profitable side crop. It is easy and economical to produce and commands a high price both in its fresh and processed forms in export markets," says Ernesto "Jun" Pantua Jr., president of the growers’ association. He is one of the major producers of passionfruit in Tupi.

The yellow passionfruit (Passiflora edulis var flavicarpa) is a fast growing shallow-rooted vine. Its aromatic pulpy juice is appealing, musky and guava-like. It is widely used as flavor enhancer for mixed juices, jams, marmalades, fruit cocktail syrup, and other gourmet applications such as mousses, sorbets, sauces, and salad dressings.

Pantua explains that passionfruit production is easy using the simple "plant-grow-harvest" system. It is a common practice among growers to plant passionfruit seeds along the perimeter of their farms, let it "climb" on trees, and then harvest the fallen mature fruits. The only expenses incurred are related to planting, weed brushing, and harvesting.

For more than ten years now, Pantua has been growing and processing tropical fruits and vegetables in the 70-hectare Kablon Farms. Kablon is known to have pioneered the production of the yellow variety of passionfruit in the region, and is also known for its processed juices, jams and jellies.

Kablon Farms supplies passionfruit every season to T’boli Agro-Industrial Development Inc. (TADI), a large fruit processing and cannery plant in Surallah, South Cotabato that exports canned tropical fruit cocktails to more than 30 countries.

TADI’s main export markets are North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which require at least five percent passionfruit juice in each can of fruit cocktail. When local supply is low, TADI imports passionfruit puree at 50 degrees brix from Sabah, Malaysia.

According to Elias Licayan, TADI’s assistant vice president for manufacturing, demand for passionfruit juice has been increasing for the past three years due to the increase in demand for tropical fruit cocktail in Europe and the United States. Lately, buyers are asking for an increase in the passionfruit juice content from five percent to seven percent, a strong indication of its acceptance as flavor enhancer of tropical fruits.

The Mindanao Fruit Industry Development (Minfruit) Council, a GEM-assisted business support organization, recently purchased 15 kilos of seeds from the association to distribute to growers in North Cotabato, CARAGA, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Compostella Valley to further expand production. (GEM Program)