MANILA, Philippines — One possible new project for enterprising agribusiness people is growing cherry tomato. Not so many Filipino farmers are familiar with this miniature tomato whose fruits are about the size of most seedless grapes.

While the market is not well developed in the Philippines yet, it is possible to develop a viable market if there is available supply and consumers are made aware of the health benefits of eating cherry tomatoes.

In most developed countries like Taiwan, the United States and Europe, cherry tomato is now a popular fare. It is often used in salads. In upscale hotels, cherry tomato is served during breakfast together with other fruits and vegetables. Cherry tomato is also often included in meals served in airplanes. By itself it can be eaten fresh for snacks. It can be eaten like seedless grapes.

While the cherry tomato is still little known to many farmers in the Philippines, there are now a few who are discovering the potential of this crop.

Toto Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness tells us that Rolly Vinusa of Sison, Pangasinan, is getting excited about the money-making possibilities of this small tomato variety. He has been growing two varieties from Known-You in the open field and has been getting a good harvest. Vinusa has told Toto that one buyer would like to have a steady supply of 800 kilos a week. As of now, however, he can only supply a small volume. But he will be planting more soon. Ex-farm, Rolly is selling his harvest at P80 per kilo. It is, however, retailed at P110 to P140 per kilo. That’s much higher than the price of the ordinary variety.

In Taiwan it is already a popular fare and there are farmers who are making money growing the same. There are many varieties that come in bright red, yellow and orange colors. Most of these are the result of breeding by Known-You Seed Company, the biggest seed firm in Taiwan.

We interviewed a farmer, Huang Guo Tsun, from Neimen district of Kaohsiung City who used to grow leafy vegetables but would only grow cherry tomatoes today. He was the pioneer in planting cherry tomatoes in his community starting eight years ago.

He does not need a big area to produce a big income. In fact, in one place he is only planting 2,500 square meters of rented land near where lives. This small area which he planted to 1,760 hills last September 10 is giving him an income that could be more than the revenue from 10 hectares of riceland.

Huang loves cherry tomatoes for a number of good reasons. For one, cherry tomatoes are very prolific and they have a long productive life. They can be productive for as long as six months if they are given proper care. On a bad crop, harvesting could last only 60 days. Even then, that could already be profitable. Once harvesting starts three months after sowing, harvesting is done every day as in the case of Huang Guo Tsun’s plantation.

From his 2,500-square meter plantation, he currently harvests at least 60 to as much as 180 kilos a day. The current price is about NT$700 per box of 6 to 7 kilos. That’s about P1,100 per box or P157 per kilo in Philippine money.

Five workers are picking the ripe fruits daily, receiving NT$800 each per day of work. That’s equivalent to about P1,250 in Philippine money. Although labor is costly, the margin is still very significant. Say he averages a hundred kilos per day, the gross revenue per day would be the equivalent of about P15,700.

Huang grows his tomatoes in the open. Because the varieties are indeterminate (they grow very tall), they are supported by trellis using steel pipes for the posts. The trellis is quite expensive but then it could last for 10 croppings.

There are many cherry tomato hybrids produced by Known-You. The favorites of Huang are Amber and Nova. Amber is red like grapes while Nova is orange. Both are sweeter than other cherry varieties.

Huang knows how to maintain the sweetness of his cherry tomatoes. If the fruits are not as sweet as he wants them to be, he fertilizes his plants with more phosphorus and potassium. He also withholds irrigation for a few days. What’s good is that there are Known-You technicians who are teaching the farmers like him how to grow their crops, whether it is cherry tomatoes or some other vegetables.

Can Filipino farmers grow cherry tomatoes, too? The few who have tried it have shown they can. What is important is to create more awareness of the advantages of this small tomato variety so that there will be a bigger production and market. More people should learn to eat this kind of tomato.

AANI FARM TOUR ON JANUARY 14 – AANI is organizing a farm tour to Carmen, Rosales in Pangasinan on Saturday, January 14, 2012. The attendees will be able to attend the Techno Forum at the Harbest Training Farm where the Agri-Kapihan in Pangasinan will also be launched.

At the Techno Forum, there will be a discussion on the use of EM or Effective Microorganism in agriculture and aquaculture. There will be demonstrations on the use of small tractor in preparing land for vegetable pro-duction, lecture on the benefits of the drip irrigation that incorporates fertilizer, a demo of a powerful shredder, and a visit to the demo farm that is planted to 400 varieties of high-value crops from Known-You Seed Co. At the Agri-Kapihan, we will share success stories of farmers we have met in the Philippines and abroad.

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