Agriculture Business Week

Although this exotic fruit is banned in most of the world, there is an increasing demand for it in the export market.

Durian, of course,” replied Dr. Hilario Laperia, a Filipino physician who now works in Canada, when asked what is his most favorite fruit. “Nothing beats it. I have tasted lots of exotic fruits but I still go back to my all-time favorite -durian.”

Another physician, who describes herself as a fruit lover, likes to eat all kinds of fruits, tropical or otherwise. But durian is the best, according to her. “My first encounter (with durian) was not very pleasant due to its odor. But once you have tried to taste its soft creamy pulp, you’ll learn to love it. My husband is from Laguna and it took so many prodding before he tasted it. Today, durian is his favorite fruit.”

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Durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.) is a distinctive Asian fruit. The tree reaches a height of 40 meters. Its bark is red-brown and peels off regularly. The trunk is buttressed. Its leaves are oval or lance-head-shaped and arranged alternately. The upper surface is smooth and glossy. The lower part is covered with scales and hairs. The flowers are whitish and greenish white. The fruit is green to brownish in color, shaped like a globe or egg.

Adaptation

Durian is adapted to sandy loam and clay loam, with high organic matter, reasonably deep and slightly acidic soil (pH of 5.6).

Durian grows in lowland tropics in elevation up to 800 meters above sea level with optimum temperature of 25-35°C and 80% relative humidity.

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It’s durian season once again and soon, the streets of Davao City will be lined up with piles of this fruit.

According to Department of Agriculture’s High Value Commercial Crops Regional Coordinator Melani A. Provido, the Philippines is producing around 54,700 metric tons of durian annually, with majority of production areas located in Mindanao.

The flesh and seeds make up around 60 percent of the fruit, while the husk or skin which is generally considered waste material represents 40 percent or 21,880 metric tons. Hence, every year, we are producing around 22,000 metric tons of durian husk, which usually end up in the garbage dumps or worse, are just left along the sides of the streets to rot.

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In the late 90’s we conducted a technology search in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. We visited research and extension centers, and documented technologies generated by research institutions. We also conducted on-farm observations of innovative practices that farmers and traders apply in the production and postharvest handling of durian(Durio zibethinus Mur.) and mangosteen(Garcinia mongostana Linn.).

The technology search was useful in fastracking the generation of technologies which we made available to local farmers through the Handbook on Durian Production in the ASEAN and Handbook on Mangosteen Production in the ASEAN. These publications have helped in the expansion of both crops in the country. Durian is now one of the country’s major crops. It has been grown in over 20,000 hectares (ha) and provided high income to many fruit growers, especially the smallholders. It also provided employment to thousands of farm laborers, traders, processors, and businessmen. Similarly, mangosteen is emerging as one of the country’s major fruit crops and medicinal crops, which is being grown in over 5,000 ha.

When the Department of Agriculture awarded the senior writer as Outstanding National Agricultural Scientist in 1996, he used his cash prize to conduct technology search and extensive documentation of the technological practices in the production and postharvest handling of longkong and duku in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

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He may not have won in his second mayoralty bid last May 2007 elections, but his passion for farming has not and will never fade.

Mario Camporedondo Calayco, 62, is proud of his 15 hectare farm in President Roxas, Cotabato. He is a native of Leon, Iloilo but just like the adventurous Pinoy, he ventured to Mindanao and found it as a “land of promise…and fulfillment.”

Convinced of the good opportunities the province of Cotabato had to offer him, he settled in this province and served for 15 years as mayor of the municipality of President Roxas, Cotabato.

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People have different perceptions on the smell of durian. Some perceive it as stinky while for connoisseurs, the odor exudes the allure of a delectable food. For Larry Miculob, the smell of durian does not only spell good taste but also good business.

After years of working in a Davao-based banana corporation, Larry Miculob, a certified public accountant opted to retire early to venture into farming particularly durian production. At that time, only few people were into durian production, but Larry was confident that it would be a profitable business considering the increasing demand for the fruit not only in Mindanao but in other parts of the country.

In 1992, while he was still working as vice president for finance and administration in the JVA Corporation, Larry bought a 14-hectare farm in Upper Kawayan, Calinan, Davao City for P910,000. So when he retired in 1996 the durian trees he planted were already about to bear fruit and his resort-like farm was also developed.
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Seeing customers draw his durian close to their nose to check if these are ripe, Greg Tan was afraid that they might get cancer from the residues of synthetic pesticides he applied two days before harvest.

Feeling guilty, Greg then realized that selling shouldn’t be the sole objective of farmers like him for they have a social responsibility to provide consumers safe and healthful food.

Unfortunately, many farmers nowadays are unknowingly risking the health of consumers and their farm workers because they apply synthetic pesticides and insecticides. In durian and pummelo production, for instance, many farmers and agriculture graduates believe that it’s impossible, or difficult, to grow durian and pummelo organically.

Greg was one of them. In 1995 when he put up his 18-hectare durian and pummelo farm in Biao, Calinan, Davao City, he was using synthetic fertilizers 14-14-14, 16-20-20, 46-0-0, and 00-60 at recommended rate and time, and synthetic pesticides like cypermethrins, carbamates, organophosphates, and pyrethroids to control pests.

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This study sought to identify areas suitable for durian production in selected provinces of Region XI using geographic information system (GIs). Specifically, the study was conducted to generate thematic maps of soil type, soil elevation, soil pH, soil organic matter, rainfall, relative humidity and temperature, and to determine areas suitable for durian production.

SUITABLE AREAS FOR DURIAN
Highly suitable
The suitability    of an area for durian cultivation was classified as follows, depending upon the number of ecological factors for which the area meets the ideal conditions or values: slightly, moderately and highly suitable.

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One fellow who is is taking his farming seriously is Candelario “Larry” Miculob, 51, owner of a productive 14-hectare durian farm in Calinan, Davao City.

A certified public accountant with lots of agribusiness experience having been vice president for finance and administration of a big banana firm, he does not only believe in good agricultural production practices, he also believes that creative marketing should go hand in hand with production.

And that is why he is active in promotional activities like fruit festivals, trade expositions and market encounters. In fact, he is the chairman of the Minfruit Market Encounter which will be held in Davao City on July 31 and August 1. This will serve as an opportunity for farmers to meet owners and managers of processing plants, traders, exporters as well as suppliers of farm inputs.

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