Thursday, October 04, 2007 City agri office urged to promote malunggay By Grace L. Plata
IT WAS bananas then. Now, it seems that the lowly Moringa, commonly known as "malunggay," will be is the next big thing in Davao exports.
The Davao City Council passed a resolution requesting the City Agriculturist's Office and the City Health Office to promote and develop malunggay not just as nutritious food but also as a revenue-generating agricultural product in the city.
Baluran, chair of the City Council committee on food and agriculture and proponent of the resolution, extolled the malunggay's virtues in a privilege speech prior to presenting his proposal under suspended rules.
"Malunggay is widely known for its nutritional value, it is found to contain phytochemicals that can prevent the development of cancer cells. It is also called the miracle vegetable because it is not just food but also serves as medicine," Baluran said.
He added, however, that the malunggay's great potential as commercial food supplement and vegetable oil is one thing that the city should bank on.
"It is easy to plant and is available all year round thus malunggay-planting will be a profitable venture is pursued," Baluran said.
