EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Moringa (Moringa oleifera) commonly known in the Philippines as malunggay is one of the most
valuable trees in the country. It can be found in different Filipino dishes since cultivation of
moringa trees are customary in almost all parts of the country. Moringa contains more than 90
nutrients, various minerals, and vitamins which makes it popular in battling malnutrition in
different countries, especially in the African continent. It also gained popularity in the Health and
Wellness Industry where it has an increasing market size that values at USD 7.08 billion. This
rapid growth is due to the increased awareness of people to the benefits of moringa not only as a
superfood and as an ingredient in dietary supplements.
The importance of moringa in battling malnutrition and its growing global market potential was
recognized by the government through Senate Bill No. 1400 (2020) or the Moringa
Development Act which urges the creation of a framework for the production, marketing,
processing, and distribution of moringa for food and commercial needs. Its market opportunity
in Europe has been expressed in a study conducted by the Swiss Import Promotion Programme
(SIPPO) in 2020. Where the study noted that Western European countries such as Germany, the
United Kingdom, and France, are the most promising moringa markets because of their
reputation as the largest nutritional supplements markets.
Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) conduct a preliminary assessment of the
moringa industry in the country with the main objectives of understanding and assessing the
current status of the emerging industry and its stakeholders. The study identified 44 respondents
through purposive sampling from seven (7) regions such as National Capital Region (NCR),
CALABARZON, Bicol, Ilocos, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and CARAGA. The respondents
were composed of farmers, farmer-processors, processors, and exporters. The study utilized the
survey method to gather primary data. While for the secondary data, the study used national and
international government databases. It focused on the commodity profile of moringa and selected
processing stakeholders, marketing flow, and directory of moringa stakeholders from different
regions, among others.
The study revealed that the industry’s main challenges are: 1) low awareness of local consumers
to the benefits of using processed moringa; 2) weak moringa supply chain; 3) Technical
knowledge of cultivating moringa for commercial use; 4) availability of processing facilities; 5)
penetration to the international market, among others. While the main opportunities are: 1) the
health benefits of moringa; 2) high-income opportunities with low cost of maintenance for
farmers; 3) initial support of some local government units; 4) increasing demand for moringa
products in the international market, among others. In conclusion, the emerging industry of
moringa needs the government’s full support to complement the efforts of its stakeholders and
future stakeholders to realize its potential not only in the local market but, especially, in the global
market.
Note: For a copy of the full report, Please send an email to: amas@da.gov.ph
