Yacon: The new root crop craze in the Cordilleras

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Ever heard of yacon?

It’s the new root crop "craze" in the Cordillera because of its potential as a food and cash commodity.

A member of the sunflower family, it belongs to the Arteraceac/composipae family and bears the scientific name Smallanthus sonchifolius. It originated in the Andean mountains in South America, particularly in Peru and Bolivia.

A newly introduced root crop in the Philippines, it was exclusively grown by the Doalnars Multipurpose Cooperative in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, in northern Mindanao in the 1990s.

Yacon, which looks like sweet potato (camote), subsequently was introduced in Nueva Vizcaya and Baguio City in the early 2000 by a Japanese businessman. This eventually started the spread of yacon production in northern Philippines.

Now fondly called "apple of the earth," yacon has edible roots that are sweet, low in calories, and can be eaten raw, boiled, or sautéed in oil.

Yacon was among the mature technologies exhibited at a recent technology forum and seminar series organized by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) at its Research and Development Management Information Center on Visayas Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City.

Since yacon’s introduction in the country, several researches, among them supported by DA-BAR, have been conducted by the National Research Council of the Philippines and the Benguet State University (BSU) in La Trinidad town to further unravel its potential.

Yacon is typically cultivated in an altitude of 1,500 to 2,500 meters above sea level, noted BSU, headed by Dr. Rogelio Colting, president.

"This means that this crop can best be grown in Benguet and Mountain Province and other areas with similar climatic condition," it stated.

One study indicated that yacon possesses attractive features advantageous to producers, processors, consumers, and the environment. Among these are: it has a high fresh weight productivity; it is adaptable to a wide range of climates and soils; it is fit in agroforestry systems and for erosion control; it has a wide range of processing alternatives; and has ample nutritional content and medicinal properties.

At present, eight studies under the project "Research and Development of Yacon" are being conducted by BSU.

The initial findings have been encouraging.

For instance, planting materials of yacon can be easily produced. The right time of planting the root crop (April to October) has been determined. It has also been observed that yacon can thrive under pine trees.

As to its by-products, yacon has a high potential to be processed into wine, vinegar, and pickles.

BSU reported: "The addition of fruits such as strawberry increases alcohol production in a short span of time (15 days) after fermentation and also the combination enhances better color, texture, and flavor to the wine. Yacon can be a good vinegar specially when aged. Pickles out of yacon lengthens its storability and preserves the natural color and crunchiness and possibly nutritional value with less cooking preparations."

Yacon, anyone? – Rudy A. Fernandez