The vast

potentials of gabi leaves

By: Mabelle Roa-Ilan The famous Bicolano dish laing made from gabi leaves has transcended regional boundaries as even non-Bicolanos and foreigners have come to love this mouth-watering dish. More supermarkets both locally and abroad are now selling dried gabi leaves to cater to the demands of those who cannot forget the taste of the dish. Sundried gabi leaves could be stored up to six months. Thus it could be exported to other countries packed in polyethylene bags or any suitable containers. With the increasing demand for gabi leaves, the provincial government of Camarines Sur ventured into gabi leaves production project on a commercial scale. This is one of the projects of Gov. Luis Raymond F. Villafuerte in line with the agribusiness development program of the province. Originally the municipality of Nabua is noted for selling dried gabi leaves to Metro Manila and other places but now two other municipalities in the province will now be venturing in this activity the municipalities of Baao and Bula. Gabi, Calocasia esculenta L. popularly know in Bicol as natong could be grown both in lowland and upland areas because there are varieties suitable in these conditions. Soil and climatic condition in the province is known to be suitable for growing gabi. There are two varieties now widely planted in the province the Princesa and Balitaka varieties. Farmers found these varieties to be palatable and with rich aroma. Gabi leaves is found to be rich in vitamins A and C, minerals, protein, carbohydrates,calcium and potassium. According to project facilitator and former Bula Mayor Julieta A. Decena, gabi leaves production has great potential because it does not require fertilizer application and spraying. Initially the project was able to plant 13 hectares with 11 cooperators. Cooperators were provided with planting materials with zero interest and their counterpart is land and labor. They also underwent training on the package of technology of gabi production and post harvest technology and visited Sta. Lucia Nabua where the best natong and where most of the dried gabi leaves sold to Metro Manila originated. She added that they encountered problems on the

availability of planting materials and lack of capital. The group is still finalizing their marketing contract and is now starting to harvest, dry and store gabi leaves. She mentioned that during rainy season the price of gabi leaves ranges from Ps 130 to Ps 250 per kilo while during dry season the price ranges from Ps 60-70 per kilo. Meanwhile, Nenita Elano of San Isidro, Bula has 7,000 square meters planted with gabi. She is now starting to harvest the leaves and collects suckers for sale. She disclosed that she harvests the fourth leaf and retains about three leaves. She could now produce about 10 kilos of dried gabi leaves per week. In order to obtain quality and uniform color of dried gabi leaves she recommends continuous drying The leaves could be dried in one day under direct sunlight. Nenita said that she uses galvanized iron in drying the sliced gabi leaves measuring about 2 inches and store same in polyethylene bags with small holes. She also observed that gabi thrives well in areas with sufficient water. She also reported that weeding is minimized. In any project, constraints are inevitable. Some of the farmer cooperators relate that in order to sustain the project they suggested that production loan should be granted to them with minimal interest. According to them, gabi leaves production requires intensive labor on weeding especially those grown in upland areas. Weeding is done twice a month.

Sun dried gabi leaves

Now that the project has taken off and has started to touch the lives of people in Bula and Baao, its high time that marketing strategies must be in place. Cooperators are now in high spirits because they could see the fruits of their labor. Sustainability is the word and how to attain this, requires double efforts for both the provincial government of Camarines Sur and the farmer cooperators themselves. The big challenge, dried gabi leaves for export anyone?