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MANILA, Philippines – With a $400-billion global market, the natural ingredients industry deserves all the backing it can get from government and private business, according to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.
The sector has been earning foreign exchange for the past decade using only the most basic manufacturing processes and the least overhead, and it is high time that Filipino farmers get a chance to cash in on the boom, said the DA chief.
The industry has been helping reduce the imports of health and wellness products and expanding the market for domestic goods, Alcala also noted.
Currently, the local wellness industry still imports most of its ingredients—like essential oils and spices--even though the plants on which they are based can be easily grown in many parts of the country, experts said.
The Department of Agriculture is being urged to start expanding the farms producing crops, plants and herbs noted for their natural ingredients.
Two such plants--- lagundi and turmeric or “luyang dilaw”---- propagated nationwide, could supply the demands of the industry.
Tamarind, which grows everywhere in the country, needs to be cultured systematically to supply the requirements of instant sour broth manufacturers, experts said.
“It’s actually being looked at now (by government) because it provides an opportunity to our farmers for additional income, particularly those in the uplands,” said Dr. Candida Adalla, program director of the Department of Agriculture’s Biotech Implementation Unit (DA-BIU).
Adalla said there is a niche for Philippine natural ingredients the world over and Filipino entrepreneurs must go for it.
Two of the country’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have given priority to developing natural ingredients for their medicines. The emphasis, though has been on lagundi, now a popular medicine for cough.
Natural ingredients are derived from crops and plants that are indigenous to the soil and climatic conditions, and even from plants that could be introduced and produced in substantial volumes, Adalla added.
These crops and plants are easy to manage and require minimum inputs.
Wellness market reliant on imports
Still, experts note, the wellness market is still surprisingly dependent on imports, with essential oils used in spas coming from China, India and Vietnam.
Turmeric is imported from India even though it can be cultivated in big numbers here, without losing any of its efficacy, Adalla claimed.
The country’s biggest food ingredient company still imports 8,000 metric tons (MT) of tamarind for its “sampaloc” broth.
“Sampaloc” grows in all regions and the fruit is standard fare for regional dishes.
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