Sun.Star: Woman transforms banana rejects to dollar earner

TUPI, South Cotabato -- Victoria A. Motril proves once again that there is gold in wastes. No, the 56-year-old mother of three is not a scavenger. In fact, she came from a landed family in this rustic town sitting at the foot of Mt. Matutum, South Cotabato's land mark peak. Tupi is emerging as a major exporter of fresh native banana variety called bongulan, and those that failed to qualify for shipment to Japan has been her steady source of gold mine in the last three years. But it was not an easy hit for her. Motril, owner of VMotril's Food Products, was faced with the challenge of reducing latex content of rejected bananas as she started experimenting on turning them into crispy chips. “The latex gives an awful taste to the banana chips cooked over oil and sweetened with muscovado sugar," she said. She, however, persevered because of the discomforting feeling of seeing the rejected bananas being rendered useless and just be thrown to animals for feeds or left to rot at all. Eventually Motril discovered an indigenous technology to reduce the latex taste in bongulan banana chips, which she has so far shared with hundreds of farmers and housewives in the area. The steps are easy, she noted, by beginning the process by leaving the rejected bananas under the heat of the sun for 30 minutes with its peels still on. It should then be rinsed with water mixed with salt, peeled and then sliced thinly, she added. The cut parts then have to be soaked in unheated cooking oil then strained. And voila, after cooking it with boiling oil with sweeter, you'll get crispy banana chips. Motril said she has been processing green or young bongulan banana that did not pass for export in fresh form to the Japanese market. Local exporters of fresh native bananas usually harvest the crop when they are still green so that it will not be over-ripe when they reach Japanese soil. Because they are still not ripe, the bananas excrete significant amount of latex that Motril eventually solved. Her farm practices have brought her recognition from local and international foreign bodies. In 2005, she was adjudged second placer in the search for the Outstanding Female Farmer by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Last year, she was chosen as "Outstanding High Value Crops Processor" in Central Mindanao region by the Department of Agriculture. Motril's venture into banana chip processing has also brought her feet to Korea to participate in a trade exhibit there. “I've found a probable business partner who will distribute my banana chips in the Korean market. We're wrapping up negotiations. Well, the prospect for banana chips is very bright in the Asian market," she asserted. Her trip to Korea was fully shouldered by concerned government agencies like the Department of Agriculture. She urged small food processors to produce the best in order to be noticed by government institutions who will help their business grow. "Even if they won't apply or sought these government agencies, the latter would come if they see the promise of the venture. That was the case with me. I never seek government help but they just came unexpectedly," she said. "If you have potentials, these government institutions will look for you," the business woman added. Motril revealed her Korean contact would like an initial shipment of a 20-footer van of banana chips. At the moment, VMotril's Food Products could not meet this demand but Motril said she's planning to expand her facility through a P1 million loan offered by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Supply of bongulan banana to be turned into chips isn't really a concern for VMotril's since it has not tapped other farms. Motril noted they could process 500 kilos of bananas per week out of her 1.5 hectare farm. Her bongulan bananas are planted in between rambutan and mangosteen trees. Across Tupi, some 211 hectares of bongulan banana plantations presently exist, according to data from the Balangon/Bongulan Growers' Association, to which Motril is a member. Bongulan, which has been chosen as the "One Town, One Product" of the municipality, is being grown by at least 124 farmers. Growing it is not labor intensive since it is essentially a wild plant. Bongulan's natural habitat is the forest, growing wild and tended only by nature, which makes it monkey's favorite jungle food, Lito Apuzen, the association's manager, said in a separate interview. It is a native, table-dish variety that the association has been supplying to Alter Trade Inc. in Japan for distribution to Japanese consumers in the last three years. "The association ships fresh bongulan banana at an average of 21.6 tons or 21,600 kilos weekly to the "land of the Rising Sun," Apuzen said. Apuzen commended Motril for finding a way of turning reject bananas into a profitable venture. "It's a healthy snack item that has very good potentials in our neighboring countries," Apuzen said. Presently, Motril employs eight full-time and 15 part-time employees for the company that is also into the production of dried papaya and pineapple, papaya pickles and pruned camias. The dried papaya and pickles are from the family papaya plantation that failed to meet the quality, which in a way considered waste since they are rejected, of a large firm in nearby Polomolok town engaged in canned fruit production. A graduate of Home Economics, she expected her work force to double once her banana chips would penetrate the foreign market. VMotril's banana chips can be found in major pasalubong centers in the province, particularly at the South Cotabato Productivity and Technology Center in Koronadal City where best products in the province are on display. Her banana chip processing line has come a long way with a concrete building replacing the once nipa production facility. Last year, she was P200,000 richer from the sales of her farm-based enterprise. "There's really money in waste. It's just a matter of looking at the opportunity couple with perseverance and dedication," her advise to aspiring entrepreneurs. - Sun.Star