MANILA, Philippines -Lanzones is one of the country’s oldest and most loved fruits. It is a lucrative s ource of income for fruit tree farmers especially those from Southern Luzon, Camiguin, Davao and Jolo.

Fruit expert Dr. Bernardo O. Dizon, more popularly called “Ka Bernie,” is recommending the double-rooted technology in the propagation of Longkong lanzones, a variety that comes from Thailand and Malaysia and which has overtaken our local variety of native lanzones.

He said native lanzones could be coaxed to bear fruits in five years after planting. This is made possible by double-rooted stocking the Longkong variety coming from Thailand and Malaysia. On the other hand, direct seed propagation, as is the usual local practice with the Paete variety, takes 15 to 20 years before the plant starts to bear fruit.

The differences are also apparent in the price. The Longkong variety which is sweeter than the Paete variety, sells at P250 per kilo wholesale, and P350 up to P600 per kilo retail when supply cannot keep up with the demand. The Paete variety has a wholesale price of P40 per kilo and retail price of from P60 to P80 per kilo.

As far back as the late 80’s, Ka Bernie has been promoting high-value fruit trees such as latex-less jackfruit or langka, Sweet Angge guyabano, seedless atis, mangosteen, imported mangoes, rambutan, durian, pomelo, and other popular and marketable native fruit trees.

Citing the market-potential of the Longkong lanzones, Ka Bernie said fruits produced from Mindanao are being sold in Metro Manila fruit stands “as imported from Thailand.”

Noting the capability of the Longkong to grow well and fruit abundantly under local conditions, he said he has successfully top-worked over Paete or Jolo varieties and the results proved “promising and profitable.”

He said Longkong fruits come in compact bunches, some are seedless and others have very small seeds and latex-tree, with its delicate taste a blend of a very light hint of sourness and hearty sweetish tingle.

Ka Bernie’s Longkong double-rooted seedlings have found their way all over Luzon and their proud owners gush over its “profitability” and “continuous fruiting capabilities.”

Rep. Salacnib Baterina had reported that the lanzones, Thai rambutan and Davao pomelo in Ilocos Sur and nearby provinces are fruiting even out of season. “Too bad only a few of the double-rooted fruit trees which were procured from your project at the center were planted there.”

In La Paz, Abra, orchard owner Henry Dupo, takes pride in reporting that his seven-year-old double-rooted Longkong lanzones had been giving him an average of 25 kilos per tree every harvest time.

Dupo recently returned to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, in Quezon City to report on what he calls “his lifetime investment in Longkong that paid off handsomely.” Expanding his area for double-rooted Longkong lanzones production, Dupo remarked, “I now have full evidence of the popular bucolic saying ‘money grows on trees.’”

One of the most excited owners of the Longkong kind, is lawyer Victor P. Lazatin, who runs an 11-hectare farm diversified fruit farm in Tiaong, Quezon. An avid collector of exotic fruit trees, several of them sourced from Thailand, Malaysia and USA, he prides most his long rows of heavily-fruiting Longkong. He advises both full-time orchard and leisure farmers to go heavy on planting double-rooted varieties of high-value Longkong lanzones, latex-less jackfruit or langka, chocanan fruit trees and others being promoted by Ka Bernie Dizon.”

In his family farm resort in Lucena, Quezon, former PNP Chief Gen. Recaredo Sarmiento II, says his double-rooted Longkong fruit trees – yielding fruits twice-a-year – are his resort’s star attraction and source of family income. Last trees standing in their place while single-rooted trees have been uprooted or felled by strong typhoons.

Mario Calayco, who owns an orch ard in Poblacion, President Roxas, North Cotabato, takes pride in his regularly heavily-fruiting 500 Longkong trees. His secret, he says is Ka Bernie’s technology “double-rooted technology. He calls his Longkong and rambutan trees “My champion longkong and rambutan.” He ships huge orders of the fruits to Manila.

A proudly standing testimony to the multi-faceted characteristics of multiple rooted technology are the 200 double-rooted Longkong trees planted by Ka Bernie 12 years ago in Asian College of Science and Technology (ASCOT), Valencia, Negros Oriental; also planted in the school grounds were 600 single-rooted Longkong. ASCOT owner Constancio Cia attests to his findings that double-rooted trees produced three times more than the singles. Also, the double-rooted ones while flowering, there fruit sets, buds and ripe fruits. The singles bear fruits every two years.

Lawyer Antonio Partosa Jr., an orchard farmer, rues the day when he said he listened to the counsel of a regional agricultural official to just plant single-rootstock fruit tree seedlings, including Longkong lanzones. Optimistic in pursuing the route of the double-rooted technology, he was, however discouraged by Department of Agriculture people saying it was just a waste of time, and would have no good effect. “I Now harvest from my single Longkong trees every two years (biennial fruiting). Now, he said he has had a change of heart and pursuing completely Ka Bernie’s double-rooted technology.

In Nueva Ecija, at the Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz, and the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology(NEUST)-Gabaldon Compound, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, Longkong lanzones bear fruits in the month of May.

Fruiting season in Southern Luzon and Mindanao are the months of August, September and October.

As shown from the varying fruiting season of fruits, say, Longkong lanzones, latex-less jackfruit or langka, and others, it is very easy and possible to plant trees and propagate anywhere in the country especially considering the breakthroughs established by Ka Bernie.

Taken collectively, a massive propagation of the aforementioned high-value fruit trees, would not only serve as the answer to the call for effective means of combating climate change but provide work and income-generation projects in the countryside.