Malunggay oil tapped as biofuel in US

MANILA, Philippines – There is another wonder plant in the Philippines that is being tapped for use as biofuel source in the United States.

A Filipino biotechnology company reported yesterday that there has been a growing demand for Moringa oil or oil extracted from the seed of the malunggay plant in the US for use as biodiesel.

SECURA International said malunggay oil was tapped by the North American Biofuels Inc. last January for its biodiesel needs.

SECURA is now completing the farming of malunggay in 500,000 hectares of farmland to supply the needs of the foreign company.

SECURA International president Danny Manayaga said the Philippines should take advantage of its edge in supplying the world with Moringa oil as a source for biodiesel.

“Because the market is very near to us we can be sustainable,” Manayaga said in a statement.

To date, there are at least 165 biodiesel marketing companies that use soybean oil as biofuel in the US, Manayaga said, adding that in the next 50 years, Japan and Korea will be the largest markets for Moringa oil as biodiesel.

“North American Biofuels Incorporated was earlier looking for jatropha as source for biofuel, but after looking at a 100-liter sample of Moringa oil, it ordered the latter instead since it passed biofuels standards,” Manayaga said.

In the Philippines, the government is promoting jatropha as a source of biofuel. But Manayaga said Moringa oil is “way better than jatropha.”

“The most beneficial part of malunggay is nutrition. All the parts of the plant can be used. Whereas with jatropha, there is a poisonous part of it that would be left when you get the oil. It’s like a nuclear waste, where will you dispose the waste?” Manayaga said.

He also said malunggay is the country’s answer to critics who have said that the biofuels boom only contributes to increasing global warming because of the cutting down of trees. Critics have also said that using crops as source for biofuels have exacerbated the problem of food shortage.

Better than jatropha

Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office director Alice Ilaga, a malunggay advocate, shares the view of Manayaga that malunggay is better than the jatropha.

“The malunggay is both fuel and food. We eat the leaves, we can use the seeds for fuel. It will only take one to two years before the malunggay seedlings mature, unlike jatropha that will take three to five years,” Manayaga said.

The Philippines is the first country in the world to have an edge on Moringa oil exports. Neighboring countries Vietnam and Thailand have yet to follow suit, he said.

At present, SECURA International has established 30 malunggay plantations nationwide covering 300,000 hectares. It is now looking for an additional 200,000 hectares in Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao, Ilocos, Pangasinan and Bohol.

SECURA is encouraging farmers to plant 1,000 hectares of malunggay to be able to establish a malunggay plantation in the area. It will also set up buying centers along national highways to make it more convenient for farmers to sell the seeds.

SECURA buys the seeds at P10 per kilo. “A farmer who plants a hectare of malunggay seedlings will harvest 20,000 kilos of malunggay seeds in the first two years or equivalent to a net profit of P 200,000 per year,” Manayaga said.