Dragon fruit farm in the foot of Mount Balungao
Known as the goat capital of Pangasinan province,
and recently crowned for having the longest zipline in Southeast Asia, Balungao’s
tourism industry continues to blossom.
And to further raise the Municipality's
treasure, the 2.5-hectare dragon fruit farm in Mt. Balungao is seen to attract visitors.
Dragon fruit or Pitaya prefers free
draining soil with sandy to clay loam types or sandy soils like the land that
can be found in Balungao.
Dragon fruit farming is widely popular
in Central and South America. But thru research, it has reached different
countries in Asia including the Philippines.
The Mt. Balungao Dragon Fruit farm is
located in Napudot Road. The farm was developed in 2010 but the hefty harvest started
just 2 years ago. According to Johnny Espe, owner of the farm, an expansion is
planned due to the higher demand.
Espe is a nurse in profession but when
he learned about the different benefits of dragon fruit, he started growing a
few in their ancestral land in Balungao. Her sister who's in California has helped
him research on ways how to grow dragon fruit. And now, the whole family helps
in the business.
"From June to November po ang
fruiting season. Hindi mahirap itanim basta't gamay mo siya. Kapag mainit ang
klima, mas maganda ang tubo. Kaya swak na itanim dito sa Pilipinas kasi
tropical country tayo", he explains.
The potential of dragon fruit is very
much brighter because it commands a very high price in the local market. It
costs around P120 - 150 per kilo. Espe said three-year old dragon fruit can
produce 5 - 6 tons per hectare amounting to P720,000 in the local market alone.
It is no wonder that dragon fruit is now dubbed as the new money crop–truly, a
high revenue earner.
"Marami kaming mga standing
orders sa Manila. May mga kumukuha dito para ibenta sa market. Sa ngayon, P120
ang bentahan namin at nagbibigay kami ng discount kapag bulk order ang
kukunin", says Espe.
The Espe family plants different
varieties of dragon fruit including red, white, and yellow variety. The red
varieties are used to combat anemia. While the yellow is sweeter in taste and
contains the heart tonic called ‘captine’.
The Mt. Balungao DF Farm is open for public
where sightseers are free to pick their own fruits, and then pay afterwards.
"Enjoy ‘yung farm tour pati ‘yung
fruit picking. Feeling ko, sa amin ‘yung farm. Pati mga bata, nag-enjoy.
Syempre, aside dun sa experience, ‘yung benefit na makukuha mo sa dragon fruit,
maganda kaya kumakain kami nito", says Nathaniel Gancenia when he visited
the farm.
The deep pink almost bright red scaly
skin of the dragon fruit may be weird for some and looks like just a cactus,
but the benefits are numerous. Some say that dragon fruits are called
"priceless treasure". It can be taken as fruit, flower, vegetable,
health product or medicine.
Named the cleansing fruit for the whole
body system, the dragon fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals and the fruit,
including its flowers and peelings, are edible as well. It is also effective
for weight loss, and it helps reduce risks of cancer. (Jing Vallejos/Focus)
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