Food Crisis Series 27 Let's develop the less popular Philippine fruits. They are resistant to global warming.

 Food Crisis Series 27

Let's develop the less popular Philippine fruits.
They are resistant to global warming.

It is because they are indigenous, or native to the place.  They developed natural resistance to unfavorable conditions such as drought and pests.

 Dr Abe V. Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Many of our native fruits like karamay, bignay, duhat, macopa, native chico, guava,  papaya, and a hundred others, have been replaced  on the farm and backyard, and in the market by imported fruits and foreign varieties. 

Global warming and the increasing occurrence of El Niño have destroyed many of the non-indigenous fruits, and sent their prices beyond affordable level. 

A serious program to develop the so-called less popular fruits is important to brace the effects of climate change, pollution and increasing poverty. 
 
Let's take a cursory check of fruits sold in some fruit stands in Manila and imagine we are in a travelogue to where they came from - into time and history as well.

 Lanzones from Paete, marang from South Cotabato, pomelo from Davao, manggang kalabao from Zambales, strawberry from Baguio, durian from Maguindanao, dalangita from Cavite, pakwan from Candaba – but wait.

These are only samples of the country’s rich variety of fruits. What we may not readily find in the market are the less popular fruits, fruits that are even better, not to mention their rarity of their taste, than the major ones.

Balimbing

Here is a list of the minor fruits of the Philippines, often referred to as “promising fruits” because of their great potential in agriculture and industry, for both domestic and foreign markets.

1. Atis (Anona squamosa)
It is also called sugar apple for its very sweet taste. The fruit when mature is light green or yellowish, the ridges becoming wide apart, and in some cases split. Atis is a typical example of collective fruit, each seed covered by fleshy carpel which we each. The seeds are small and kids playfully spit them out like a blow gun.

Guyabano

 
2. Avocado (Persia americana)
It originated from Mexico where it is a very popular. In fact it is Mexico’s national fruit. It was introduced into the country by the Spaniards in the 17th century. Today avocado is found in most part of the country and                                                  cultivated in the backyard.

3. Balimbing (Averrhoa carambola)
4. Kamias (Averrhoa balimbi)
5. Caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito)
6. Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)
7. Chico (Manikara zapota syn., Achras zapota)
8. Duhat (Syzygium cumini)
9. Durian (Durio zibethinus)
10. Grapes (Vitis vinifera)
11. Guava (Psidium guajava)
12. Guyabano (Anona muricata)
13. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
14. Lanzones (Lansium domesticum)
15. Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)

Macopa (Syzygium samarangense)

16. Pili (Canarium ovatum)
17. Rambutan (Nephalium appaceum)
18. Rimas (Artocarpus altilis)
19. Kamansi (A. camansi)
20. Santol (Sandoricum koetjape)
21. Siniguelas (Spondias purpurea)
22. Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)
23. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
24. Tiessa (Poteria campechiana syn Locuma nervosa)

Caimito

Other noteworthy fruits
25. Bago (Gnetum gnenum)
26. Bignay (Antidesma bunuis)
27. Biriba (Rollina deliciosa syn R. orthopetala)
28. Chico-Mamey ( Pouteria sapota syn., Calocarpum sapota)
29. Datiles (Muntingia calabura)
30. Kalumpit (Terminalia microcarpa)
31. Kamachili (Pithecolobium dulce)
32. Kayam (Inocarpus eduluis)
33. Mabolo ( Diospyrus blancoi)
34. Makopa ( Syzygium samarangense)
35. Manzanitas (Ziziphus jujuba)
36. Marang (Artocarpus pdoratoissima)
37. Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)
38. Granadilla (Punica granatum)

Atis 

Not mentioned in The Promising Fruits of the Philippines by Dr. Roberto E. Coronel, are
39. Tampoy
40. Sapote
41. Fig
42. Batocanag

43. Limonsito - Triphasia trifolia, a very close relative of citrus, is a native to tropical southeastern Asia especially in Indonesian islands and Philippines.

Where have all our native fruits gone?
San Vicente Botanical Garden

Dr Abe V Rotor

 
Tiesa (Lucuma nervosa), siniguelas (Spondias purpurea)

Where have all the native guava gone,
the bats and birds and the young one?

Where have all the sweet nangka gone,
its fruits buried under the ground?

Where have all the old piña gone,
on the upland, sweetened by the sun?

Where have all the red papaya gone,
solo by name, the only tree of a kind?

Where have all the pomegranate gone,
friendly though like the deadly one.

Where have all the pako mango gone,
to cook the finest sinigang?

Where have all the big pomelo gone,
its rind made into jelly and jam?

Where have all the red macopa gone,
the laughing children in its arm?

Where have all the native santol gone,
set aside for a large-seeded one?

Where have all the tall mabolo gone,
sapote and caimito that ripe into tan?

Gone to the genie everyone,
technology’s child becoming man. ~

 
Black Sapote (Diospyrus digyna), Atis (Anona squamosa); below, native guava
(Psidium guajava), macopa (Eugenia jambalana), Caimito (Chrysophylum cainito)