SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija. — One of the most popular plant food, especially among Ilocanos, is "saluyot" or jute plant (Corchorus olitorius).

It has been found to be very nutritious and cheap that it was once touted to be the next food wonder of Asia.

Despite its nutritional value, it failed to take off as an export product largely due to lack of marketing savvy and an unfortunate incident that befell another product which became popular at the same time that it did.

The lowly saluyot took center stage and became one of the most valuable products (MVP) of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) here in 1994. Another MVP that time was nata de coco.

Then CLSU president Dr. Fortunato Battad entered into an agreement with Shimomura Enterprises owned by Kiichi Shimomura, a Japanese national, for the use of the university’s food processing plant for the processing of products for export to Japan.

Shimomura was then producing 10,000 kilos of nata de coco a day which were exported to Japan either in cans or bottles.

Nata de coco, an indigenous Philippine coconut product, was widely advertised in Japan as a health dessert rich in anti-oxidants and as colon cancer preventive. It was also claimed as beneficial to those who are suffering from high blood pressure and constipation.

Shimomura, in one his travels to the Philippines, discovered that powdered "saluyot" was another food craze particularly in Tokyo . It was advertised as having higher beta carotene (Vitamin A source) content than carrots and good for those suffering from high blood and constipation.

He also learned that the production output of saluyot in Japan was limited because of the climate.

He then clinched a deal with a Tokyo company for the production of powdered "saluyot" in the Philippines since the country can produce the plant leaves in abundance.

Battad then met with the officials of the university, particularly with Dr. Romeo Cabanilla, then director of the university agribusiness program, and Dr. Nestor Candelaria, then food processing plant manager, for a fast-tracked planting of saluyot and later processing of the leaves into powdered form.

Cabanilla then organized a team for the purpose. Five hectares were at once planted to saluyot on the university’s farm. Contract growing of some 80 hectares of saluyot among cooperators was also put in place.

The cooperators were even formed into an organization called Saluyot Growers Association (Saga).

Sa-luyot, it was learned, can also have har-vestable matured leaves after 35 to 42 days and can become most productive up to four months.

Seed requirement is 10 to 12 kilos per hectare and the cost of seed is P300 a kilo. Ten kilos of leaves, which is procured at P4 a kilo, can make a kilo of powdered saluyot.

Powdered saluyot was priced at the equivalent of P300 a kilo that time. The needed volume for the deal clinched by Shimomura was 20 tons of powdered saluyot and 200 tons of the fresh matured leaves per month.

At the height of the nata de coco craze, a big number of residents, particularly those in coconut producing areas in Luzon, engaged in backyard production of the product. It appeared then that there was no adequate quality control for the production of nata de coco.

A television program got footages on how some residents in a southern Luzon province were producing nata de coco at the back of their houses. The report later filtered to Japan and that ended demand for nata de coco.

Shimomura said then that he was closing shop because the orders for the exportation of his nata de coco had been stopped.

The production of powdered saluyot also stopped when Shimomura packed up and left. Just like a bubble, the hope of the more than 250 people hired for the nata de coco production and powdered saluyot, including farmers who were contracted for growing saluyot, burst.

And the saluyot was back to its original use as main ingredient for some popular food preparations.

Aside from quality control, the lesson learned in the saluyot and nata de coco production was that no patent for these enterprises were obtained by Filipino entrepreneurs.

Although it grows in abundance in the Philippines, it is not indigenous to the country and the technology to make it into powder form could be replicated in other tropical countries.