Philippines begins exporting okra to Japan

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines started to export okra (gumbo or ladies’ fingers) to Japan in what the Department of Agriculture described as a “significant development” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Jelfarm Fresh Produce Enterprise’s Jeffrey Fernandez and Rap Pelayo led the initial shipment of two tons of okra on Tuesday at Pair-bags Center in Pasay City.

“This is an indication that in spite of Covid-19, we are upping the game. Kagaya nitong okra export to Japan, this is a significant development,” said Dar in a statement posted on the DA’s official website.

JelFarm will ship about five tons of okra daily to Japan as the harvest season begins and will increase to 13 to 15 tons daily once peak season starts.

Around 300 farmers across 14 barangays in Tarlac will supply the export-grade vegetables.

The cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Nagoya will be the main markets for the Philippine okra with the vegetable shipments complying with the Good Agricultural Practices.

“We recognize the efforts of Jelfarm for increasing export of okra to Japan. Japan is a key market for our produce and they are fond of eating okra as part of their diet,” said Dar. “It’s a win-win arrangement because the farmers planting these are getting higher levels of income compared to rice.”

Fernandez, whose parents established the enterprise in 2010, said that his father looked for alternative livelihood for the Tarlac farmers who suffered from unstable palay prices throughout the year and looked at okra as marketable produce.

“You can start harvesting okra within 55–65 days upon seeding and you can harvest it every day for 75 days straight,” said Fernandez. “It’s a fast turnaround crop, high-yielding crop, and a good source of income for the farmers.”

Okra farmers can harvest 500 kilograms to one ton of okra per hectare for 75 days straight and earn a net income of P80,000 to P120,000.