No chicken tinola is complete if it misses out on leaves of malunggay. The flavor extracted from its leaves add a different dimension to the broth that completes the whole experience of enjoying this Filipino feel-good meal.

Enjoy it as a meal or consume as medicine, malunggay (Moringa oleifera) is a nutrient-packed plant. Experts say that a cup of fresh chopped leaves can give you protein, magnesium, iron, riboflavin, and vitamins A to C – hence its name, the 'Miracle Tree'.

With the rapid growth in demand for malunggay across the country, investors, groups and cooperatives are jumping on the train to provide its customers with the nutritional and medicinal benefits this commodity brings. An all-woman group from Sariaya, Quezon is reaping the benefits of this commodity.

FORMALIZING THE OPERATION

In December 2018, a malunggay-based project under the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) with DA-PHilMech, led by Bio-Process Engineering Division Chief, Dr. Ofero A. Capariño, was approved.

AFACI and PHilMech wanted to strengthen the cooperation among member-countries toward agricultural technology innovation, boost agricultural technology and knowledge transfer and sharing among other member-countries, promote and strengthen human resource network.

From this partnership, came the birth of the Women of Malunggay Network Incorporation (WOMAN Inc.). Established in 2018, WOMAN Inc., headed by Vivian F. Gomez, wants to empower women by providing them an opportunity to learn and earn through farming and drying malunggay.

"Sa panahon ngayon, ang mga asawang babae walang trabaho kaya sila ang tinutulungan namin. Ang mahal na ng bilihin. Hindi na kaya ng isa lang ang may trabaho sa pamilya." (These days, it's the wives who are unemployed, that's why we help them. Household goods are getting pricey. A single person working in the family is not enough.)

What used to be a hobby for Vivian and her husband, producing malunggay became a passion with, starting with only two members in their group. They started recruiting women in their area until they became a strong group of 15 female members. Inspired by AFACI and PHilMech's objective, WOMAN Inc. registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2019 to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the malunggay project. As part of the AFACI project, they were recognized as a cooperative.

IMPROVING THE PROCEDURE

When malunggay became a hot commodity, investors quickly looked for ways to improve the quality of producing dried moringa leaves that would avoid rejection from clients. Mind you, as easy as malunggay is to plant, drying moringa leaves while maintaining a high quality is a very different story.

Vivian's group, prior to the arrival of AFACI and PHilMech, practiced moringa drying that was unorganized and underdeveloped. They would pick and buy malunggay from different farmers then dry the commodity directly on top of bamboo branches (which caused microbial load). Quantity was the initial name of the game, but when the rejections from investors piled, something had to change.

When PHilMech provided assistance to Vivian's group, problems were quickly identified for the production of moringa powder. A lack of awareness on the proper drying procedures and protocols to produce quality and safe dried products were seen as the main causes for rejection.

Addressing these concerns came the project, "Production of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) powder using Multi-Commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (MCSTD)" through funding support from the AFACI-RDA-APPT project. The project aimed to

increase the income of farmers in the villages through the production of high quality, safe and shelf-stable moringa powder using the MCSTD.

With a few modifications suited to the needs of WOMAN Inc., PHilMech designed, fabricated and installed an improved prototype of the existing MCSTD called the Hygienic and Collapsible Multi Commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (HC-MCSTD). As the name suggests, this version of the MCSTD is collapsible with light construction materials, making it a gender-friendly technology, too.

As of writing, this technology is undergoing patent application at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

Practices of the cooperative were also developed through proper training and workshop on Good Agricultural Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. With these training courses, they were able to develop an effective processing protocol in producing moringa powder with the HC-MCSTD.

The effect of having a proper processing protocol soon caught the eyes of investors. One which is Dr. Asedillio M. Turing, founder and CEO of PHilTycoon (a local manufacturer and global distributor of herbal and holistic products), who was present during a three-day skills training conducted by PHilMech at WOMAN Inc.'s site. Dr. Turing and his company is committed to helping the small farmers gain financially by purchasing their goods. In a similar fashion, he helps Vivian's group by buying their processed malunggay in bulk before selling.

With an 8000-square meter land that produces 100 kilograms of fresh malunggay leaves monthly, along with Vivian buying as much as two tons from malunggay farmers in their area, investors like Dr. Turing can be assured of enough supply. Vivian's newfound processing techniques (with assistance from the HC-MCSTD) can harness the power brought by the moringa powder.