 | Citronella oil production underway |
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balita-dot-ph, September 27, 2010 9:51 am LOS BANOS, LAGUNA, Sept. 26 — The Land Grant Management Office (LGMO) has recently ventured into the cultivation of citronella (Cymbopogon spp) to generate income from citronella essential oil and to increase the vegetative cover in the Sta. Clara and Tipuan areas of the University’s Laguna Quezon Land Grant (LQLG). Forester Sofronio Camacho, LGMO manager of UPLB’s General Forestry and Natural Resources department, said the country imports large quantities of citronella essential oil even if the plant can be grown in open marginal areas, and oil extraction requires a simple process. He said that available records have indicated that the country imported P4.56 million worth of citronella essential oil in 1994. Camacho said Citronella oil can be used as an insect repellent for crops, pets, and humans. Its antiseptic, bactericidal, deodorant, and stimulant properties makes it useful for traditional and modern medicinal applications. Citronella oil can also be used in aromatherapy, in processing perfumes, as well as in the manufacture of flavoring, soap, detergent, cosmetics, industrial polishes, and cleaning compounds, he added. He said Spicetrade B2B Marketplace (http://www.spice-trade.com/citronellaoil.html) identifies Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, India, USA, Taiwan, and Guatemala as the leading citronella oil producers. The top exporters are Indonesia, China, Brazil, and India while the chief importing countries are Japan, USA, France, the Netherlands, and UK. The Philippines, on the other hand, seems to have yet again overlooked the potentials in a plant that is very easy to grow. According to Camacho, LGMO decided to plant citronella because it can grow on poor soils and is low-maintenance, thus ideal for the marginal areas of the LQLG. Moreover, citronella essential oil production has a really good potential for generating income for the University and enable it to showcase a simple technology to farmers. The LGMO0 manager said citronella oil is best extracted from the leaves because they produce the most amount compared to the rest of its parts. Generally, one can harvest the leaves four times in a year or 24 times during the six years that the plant usually remains productive. A hectare of citronella yields 15 to 20 tons of leaves on the first year, 20-25 tons in the second, and eventually declines in the fourth year. Oil is extracted from citronella leaves through distillation, a fairly simple and highly adaptable technology that converts the essential oils into a vapor and then condenses the vapor back into a liquid. A distillation unit has a furnace, a tank still, condenser, and an oil separator. He said Citronella grass cultivation and citronella essential oil production have all the essential characteristics of a simple, and therefore, highly adaptable technology. Planting citronella requires minimal input. Oil extraction does not require high technology and can be done in the backyard using a machine that can be easily fabricated. The LGMO has established an initial five-hectare plantation in a cogonal area at the Sta. Clara-Tipuan area of the Laguna-Quezon Land Grant. Seeing the merits of the initiative, the UP System allocated funds for the LQLG to acquire an extractor and shredder with a capacity of 100 kilos to 170 kilos of raw grass of citronella. With these equipment, the LGMO has been producing an average of 40 liters per month of citronella essential oil. To maximize the production potential for the essential oil, the LGMO wants to expand the citronella area by 20 hectares. This move will make it necessary for the project to acquire an oil extractor with a capacity of 500 kg raw leaves/extraction. Estimated annual net revenues for each hectare of citronella plantation is estimated at P0.38 million assuming that a quarterly harvest would produce a total of 41,665.5 kg of raw grass/year. Camacho said walk-in clients purchase the citronella essential oil that the project produces In anticipation that the project will produce large volumes, he has asked the assistance of the UPLB Business Affairs Office to link it with the market for this industrially important essential oil. He expressed confidence that the project will not find it difficult to market the citronella produce because of its multiple uses and the fact that the Philippines is a net importer. Camacho said the citronella project shows ample proof that UP can maximize the potentials of its land grants through simple yet productive means. {(PNA)DCT/FMB} Source: Citronella oil production underway |
