PHL eyes exporting ‘kadios’ to US, India, ME

Filipino farmers can start exporting pigeon pea to the US, India, and Middle East as soon as crop propagation hits commercial phase in the next two to three years, an official of India-based International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) said Monday. Pigeon pea — kadios in Tagalog — is a shrubby herb legume with three leaflets, yellow flowers, and flattened pods that is cultivated especially in the tropics. Speaking before reporters, ICRISAT director-general William Dar said, “Here lies the biggest potential for us. After serving the country’s requirement, we can export the surplus produce to India, Middle East countries, as well as the US." “If we can start commercialization in two years, we can serve the domestic demand to supply the requirement of Indian restaurants, most of which are in the category of fine dining," said Dr. Myer Mula, a Filipino scientist working on seed systems at ICRISAT. There are about 300,000 India nationals in Manila. Pigeon pea is a crop of choice in the production of dhal, a staple food in India and the Middle East. At an average of $475.83 per metric ton (MT), pigeon pea is considered as one of the world’s most expensive grains next to — if not at par with — rice. In India, demand for pigeon pea is close to 5 million MT, but consumption easily outpaced production in recent years that now averages 2.5 million MT a year. Some 2.5 million to 2.8 million MT are being imported mostly from Myanmar. In the US, demand for canned and frozen pigeon pea is also rising. The demographic change in the US is creating a demand for immigrants’ traditional foods, and the large Indian and Afro-American communities in North America offer new potential markets. “This is the reason why [ICRISAT] is pushing for the propagation of pigeon pea in the Philippines, so the government can increase export revenues from the export of semi-processed and processed pigeon while improving the income of farmers," Dar said. ICRISAT has recently donated several milling machines that can process pigeon pea into dhal. The mill will make possible value-added potential because the dhal will be used as raw material for producing cakes, bread, cookies, noodles, snack items, and condiments like vinegar. Pigeon pea cultivation is relatively easy as the crop virtually needs almost zero management. Yield per hectare can be as high as five million MT via the high-yielding varieties at a production cost of P12,000 to P15,000 per hectare. “In the Philippines, most people derive their protein requirement from livestock and fish. Encouraging them to eat pigeon pea will not only provide the necessary protein but can also reduce the per capital consumption on livestock and fish which are oftentimes unaffordable to poor families," said Mula. At present, ICRISAT is coordinating with concerned government agencies like the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development and the Agriculture Research Bureau as well as Philippine state universities to step-up the seed production phase. — JE/VS, GMANews.TV