A rare ‘Cempedak’ fruit, now in eco-farm tourism site in M’nao

A RARE Cempedak fruit originally from Thailand is one of the rare fruits and seldomly seen and tasted in the entire Philippines, now in the country.

This Cempedak fruit is an evergreen, medium-sized, mid-canopy, branched, monoecious tree that grows about 10–30 m tall.

It is very similar to the much more common jackfruit, but while jackfruit is huge and oval, a cempedak is tubular and about the size of a rugby ball that’s been squished.

The plant is found growing in secondary forests and locally abundant in primary lowland rainforest, often on wet hillsides.

These seedlings were made also available in Cagayan de Oro, together with other rare fruit seedlings in the BFF's (Brua-Flores ecoFarm) seedling booth at SM uptown at CDO ERICHEL GREEN, near the parking building entrance, this week, November 24-28, 2021.

The pandemic that started earlier in 2019 has affected almost all businesses. Many businesses have been forced to close or some switched to a more viable source of income.

The BFF, which started as a little nursery has explored its choices to further propagate fruit seedlings, practicing the Department of Agriculture’s “Plant, Plant, Plant” or “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Laban sa Covid-19” program.

As the food basket of Mindanao, Bukidnon is a province known for its numerous farms, plantations, and agro-tourism sites that provide bountiful harvests of livestock, grains, vegetables, and fruits for local and international consumption, as well as provide employment for thousands of people in Mindanao.

Isidro M. Flores established BFF on May 1, 2020 in Purok 1, Barangay Bocboc, Don Carlos, Bukidnon.

This 10,000 square meters of land where BFF Farm now stands used to be a sugarcane plantation.

It is strategically located in the accessible area where farm terrain is slightly sloping, used for nursery and as a rare fruit farm, portion has been used by MINDA (Mindanao Development Authority) as a demo farm for upland rice farming.

At present, almost 100 different fruit trees were planted on the farm most are rare fruits intercropped with plants like magic berries, mulberries, papaya, apple, fig, hass avocado, and lemons.

“In 3 years or more, it will fulfill its main vision to serve clientele and families “Fruit All You Can” at a very reasonable price, when you visit the eco-farm, Mr. Flores said.

BFF is aiming to be a center for avocado development for local varieties in Mindanao, highlighting the certified Lamb Hass Avocado supplied by Sun Pacific Avocados based in the United States.

“We are currently looking for assistance for the farm’s vision realization of becoming the leading learning site and model farm for rare fruit trees collection, soon a school for practical grafting, plants propagation, and eventually to be a diversified farm including the principles organic farming and urban gardening,” Flores said.

As a thriving Nursery, BFF currently offers BPI-certified Eviarc Jackfruit, grafted Apple, Lychee, Cempedak, Pomegranate, Jaboticaba, Kiwi, Pear, Figs, Cherries, Berries, Mulberries, Grapes, Embryo Cultured Macapuno, Collection of Mangoes, Collection of Lemons, Collection Tambis, Collection of Durian, Collection of Rambutan, and many other fruit trees.

“The farm’s soil is fertile and climate is generally warm with its optimum average temperature is 27’c,” he said.

Aside from the propagation of seedlings, the Ecofarm also encourages anyone from the nearby community to learn grafting and air-layering.

Some high school students before the pandemic would drop by to learn the techniques, teaching is Mr. Flores’s passion being a teacher by profession, gardener at heart.

Experiential learning for soil mixing, polybag preparations, pruning mulberries, and basic grafting are taught to some students before the pandemic as well.

One of the farm’s features is its spring water source. This farm’s best asset has surpassed several El Nino and droughts without drying up which made it potential for Nursery, seedlings, and other activities that require a volume of water, like Hito pond, a small pond already is at the back portion of the farm.

The one-fourth hectare upland rice Fertigation ricefield by Minda (Mindanao Development Authority) has benefited a lot from this spring water. Currently, the MINDa’s program, a baby of Secretary Manny Pinol, has been underway since September 2021, nearing its harvest time already.

Another benefit of this natural sparkling spring water is its small, beach entry pool located at its other end.

“It was also installed showcasing natural spring water as its source, which passed the Micro Bacterial Water test which means it’s potable water,” Flores said.

Little huts, native kubo, made by local handymen were inspired by Kaamulan Village, were placed for the family’s chilling and retreat after a day’s work at the eco-farm.

This will also be available exclusively to other families and groups, sharing nature’s bounty with the people.

"I want my farm (BFF) to be the pioneer farm for rare fruits,” said farm owner Jong M. Flores, adding that the vision of offering “Fruit all you can” will serve the farm’s eco-tourism contribution to the province of Bukidnon.

Also, just this September, this year, Cempedak all-you-can for free, was offered for almost 3 weeks to anyone who visited the eco-farm.

BFF encourages the people of Don Carlos to plant this as Mr. Flores’ dream to tag Don Carlos as the Cempedak Capital of the Philippines soon. (Ben Balce).