The Department of Agriculture in the CARAGA Region has adopted the lowly malunggay as the chief vegetable crop for its one-house, one-vegetable program in an effort to fight hunger, poverty and the widespread malnutrition suffered by women and children in the region.
Under the program dubbed Utanon Kada Balay, the agriculture deparment is encouraging every household to come up with a backyard vegetable garden for their own consumption, as well as animal feeds for goat, pig, chicken and ducks.
Speaking before the 13th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference late October, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the malunggay has many agri-business potentials.
Yap said the government plans to distribute 300,000 malunggay seedlings to 100,000 families by end 2007. So far, the agency has distributed 53,500 malunggay seedlings to a total of 18,680 families, throughout CARAGA, which includes the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte.
CARAGA, is a priority area because of high incidence of hunger, as well as malnutrition among pregnant women and children.
Malunggay which has many uses can spur economic activity through farming for natural ingredients, which is being aggressively promoted by the DA Biotechnology Program Office (BPO), in partnership with the private sector.
A local biotechnology company is reportedly offering contracts to grow malunggay for the supply of malunggay seeds. Malunggay seed can be the source of healthy oil like the olive oil, but at a much cheaper price like the regular coconut oil.
Yap said malunggay has many agri-business potentials which can help fight hunger and poverty and increase farmers income as well.
Powdered malunggay can be used to fortify noodles, soup or bread with vitamins and minerals while its seeds, which can produce all-purpose-oil, can be used by industries for products like soap, shampoo, lotion and other personal health care products.
It can also be an alternative source of biofuel. The leaf and cake of the malunggay fruit or sepal can also be used as animal feed stock for goat, pig, cattle, chicken and ducks.
Malunggay, or moringa, is a nutritious vegetable tree often ignored by the people, but it can boost government effort to fight hunger and poverty, as well as chronic malnutrition.