Agriculture Business Week

The Philippines is the only country that produces and processes pili nuts in commercial quantity.

0ne economically important tree that deserves attention not only from the government officials but from farmers as well is the pili nut (scientific name: Canarium ovatum). Although it is found mostly in Bicol, pili can be grown anywhere in the country.

According to reports, there are at least six regions in the Philippines where pili is known to be produced. The other five, aside from Bicol, are Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Southern Mindanao and Caraga.

Actually, the pili nut is native to the Philippines. But until today, there is still no commercial planting of the crop; fruits are collected from natural stands in the mountains near the provinces of Sorsogon, Albay, and Camarines Sur.

While some-Asian countries are planting pili, they are mostly grown as ornamental. In fact, only the Philippines produces and processes pili nuts commercially. In 1977, the country reportedly exported some 3.8 tons of pili preparation to Guam and Australia. Before World War II, pili nuts were exported to Hawaii, Germany, France, eat Britain, and Japan, accordinp to the Plant Industry Digest published in 1970.

Today, however, the large buyers of pili nuts are in Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where the kernel is used as one of the major ingredients in one type of the famous Chinese festive desserts known as the “moon cake.”

“The current status of the pili is equivalent to that-of the macadamia some 30 years ago,” says Richard A. Hamilton, a macadamia breeder at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “It has great potential to develop into a major industry.” (The expensive macadamia nuts are in demand in Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Austria.)

Pili trees are attractive symmetrically shaped evergreens, averaging 20 meters tall with resinous wood and resistance to strong wind. It prefers deep, fertile, well drained soil, warm temperatures, and well-distributed rainfall.

The immediate concern in pili production is the difficulty of propagation. Refrigeration of seeds at 4°C to 13°C resulted in loss of viability after 5 days. Seed germination is highly recalcitrant, reduced from 98-19% after 12 weeks of storage at room temperature; seeds stored for more than 137 days do not germinate.

According to experts, asexual propagations using marcotting, budding, and grafting are too inconsistent to be used in commercial production. Young shoots of pili were believed to have functional internal phloems, which rendered bark ringing ineffective as a way of building up carbohydrate levels in the wood.

There are three pili cultivars grown in the Philippines: katutubo, mayon- and oas. Most of the production in the Philippines are from trees that developed from seedlings and, are highly variable in kernel qualities and production. Harvesting is from May to October, peaking in June to August, and requires several pickings.

Most pili kernels tend to stick to the shell when fresh, but come off easily after being dried to 3-5% moisture. Properly dried shelled nuts can be stored in the shade for one year without deterioration of quality.

The most important product from pili is the kernel. When raw, it resembles the flavor of roasted pumpkin seed, and when roasted, its mild, nutty flavor and tender-crispy texture is superior to that of the almond. In early days, emulsion from crushed kernels were used by the natives as substitute for infant’s milk.

The kernel is so luscious – described as a cross between a macadamia nut and a marcona almond – that is used in chocolate, ice cream, and baked goods. Nutritionists claim the kernel is high in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.

Pili nut is rich in fats and protein. Scientists from the University of Guelph in Canada reported that proteins in pili are as important as the proteins found in commercially important oilseeds.

“I love its tender-crisp texture, the smooth exterior, the subtle sweet flavor,” commented one consumer.

“It has the highest oil content among all edible nuts and that’s what probably accounts for the soft yet crunchy feel.

The young shoots and the fruit pulp are also edible. The shoots are used in salads, and the pulp is eaten after it is boiled and seasoned. Boiled pili pulp, which resembles sweet potato in texture, is oily (about 12%) and is considered to have food value similar to avocado.

Among the entire world’s nut, pili reigns supreme in oil content – over 70%. The pulp oil – highly prized for its lanoline content – can be extracted and used for cooking or as a substitute for cotton seed oil in the manufacture of soap and edible products.
“Chemical and nutritional analyses of pili pulp oil are very similar to olive oil,” the Department of Science and Technology reported. “However, pili pulp oil has more beta-carotene, a known vitamin A source, and carotenoids, which makes it more nutritious than olive oil.”

It’s no wonder why in Bicol and other parts of the country, the pili pulp oil is used in treating skin diseases such as scabies and de-worming capability for livestock such as pigs and chicken.

There are several other uses. The stony shells are excellent as fuel or as porous, inert growth medium for orchids and anthurium. The sap of the trunk is a valued ingredient for perfume-making and the wood itself, after the fruit-bearing life of the tree, is good for making furniture.

Unknowingly, pili nuts have export potentials. “Pili has a high potential to be, a top export commodity for the Philippines, as it can very well compete with (the nut varieties) macadamia, cashew, almond and walnut in terms of quality,” said Jose Dayao, the regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture in Bicol.

One good thing is that “we have the monopoly on the foreign market,” Dayao said. After all, the Philippines is the only country that produces and processes pili nuts in commercial quantity.

Growing pili nut is economically feasible. A three hundred hectare pili farm with 60,000 sixty thousand pili trees was established in Negros Occidental by the ECJ and Sons Agricultural Enterprises. They started planting seedlings in 1992. By 1996, they realized that almost half of the population they planted were male. On the same year, they started grafting the male trees with scions from trees selected from the 20 or 50 thousand trees that were already producing fruits. Since then, the company has been processing pili into several products and also selling raw nuts to processors.

By Henrylito D. Tacio