Cagayan Valley region ranks as one of the top mungbean producing regions contributing about 24 percent to the country’s total output from 2012 to 2016, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
To further boost the mungbean industry in the region, in terms of production and consumption, the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Research Center (DA-CVRC) developed various products from mungbean.
“The development of better and improved mungbean food products can potentially increase mungbean consumption in the domestic market and improve region’s competitiveness in the export market,” shared Vanessa Joy F. Calderon, project leader of the DA-CVRC’s High Value Crops Development Program-Legumes. Thus, the “DA-CVRC initiated the development of mungbean-based food products in 2018. [We] officially launched the brand ‘Mang Bean’ in San Mateo during their 10th Balatong Festival [on] 9 May 2018,” said Calderon. San Mateo, Isabela is tagged as the “Mungbean Capital of the Philippines.”
Through the support of the Bureau of Agricultural Research, DA-CVRC was able to develop various mungbean products which include: instant mungbean noodles which is made from mungbean flour and packed with dehydrated vegetables and salt; instant mungbean soup which is a five-minute instant ginisang munggo; vacuum fried mungbean sprouts; and, mungbean milk.
As the development of these products has already been conducted, the next stage is product commercialization which includes packaging, labelling, and marketing. “This phase will be beneficial for easy marketing of its future adaptor,” added Calderon.
The Mang Bean line recently bagged the “2nd Best Product Award” during the 2018 Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition held on Megatrade Hall 2, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. The Mang Bean’s mungbean soup was also featured during the AgriLink held on 4-6 October 2018 at the World Trade Center, Manila. ### (Rena S. Hermoso)
