MASS propagation of lemongrass is pushed as there is a high demand of lemongrass oil for cosmetic purposes in South Korea and Europe, Davao Investors Association (DIA) president said.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw weekly press conference at SM City Davao on Monday, February 5, DIA president Virgilio Sangutan said a technology extracting lemongrass oil from freshly picked lemongrass is being used now. This technology involves a steam process in which the distilled liquid coming from its vapor will be processed to become lemongrass oil.
Aside from potential international investors interested in lemongrass, Sangutan said a Filipino investor from Butuan City, Engineer Rudy Cane, had expressed interest in buying lemongrass from Davao Region once the industry had been properly cultivated.
He committed to buy lemongrass for P5 per kilo. A hectare of land may be able to cater to 10,000 individual lemongrass plants with each plant weighing 3 kilos.
Sangutan also emphasized how this plant can be of low maintenance given that it doesn't actually require a lot of fertilizers for it to grow and flourish.
"You can harvest every three months and it will just grow anew. You only need to replace the main seedling after six years," Sangutan said.
Now, there have yet to be farmers and specific farms in Davao Region targeted for this project but are already included in their priority projects with the objective of empowering fisherfolks and farmers in Davao Region.