Akinyemi Oluwagbenga:  Champion of Malay apple farming in Nigeria

Akinyemi  Oluwagbenga is an agronomist and entrepreneur. Akinyemi is a champion of Malay apple farming in Nigeria and has seized every opportunity to tell the story of this special specie. In this brief encounter with Start-Up Digest Editor ODINAKA ANUDU, he explains the uses of and business opportunities in Malay apple.

Introduction

Malay apple is presumed to be native to Malaysia in Southeast Asia.  It is commonly cultivated from Java to the Philippines and Vietnam.  It is called Malay apple in Malaysia, Jamaican apple in Jamaica and Bell apple in Nigeria.

Today, Malay apple is cultivated in other parts of Central America, including Belize, El Salvador and Costa Rica, and much more frequently in parks and gardens in Venezuela.

In Nigeria, it was introduced over fifty (50) years ago from research findings.  As a tropical apple tree, it requires ample humidity, high rainfall, and no frost (cold condition).  It grows quite well in many parts of Nigeria.  Once these basic conditions have been met, the Malay apple trees need little else to thrive.

It can be planted in homes, parks, gardens, and established as apple plantation for commercial purposes. The Malay apple tree starts producing apples three years after planting, while the temperate apple tree produces apples from the sixth year after planting.

 It produces apples two or three times per tree per year.  It is prolific, producing about 1,000 apples per tree each harvest as it grows older, which is about 2,000 apples per tree in a year.  The average yield is 21 – 85 kg per tree.

 Malay apple tree grows vigorously on a range of soil types, from sand to heavy clay.  It tolerates moderately acid soil and reacts unfavourably to highly alkaline situations.

It is majorly of three colours – red, green and cream, with many varieties of each type.  In Nigeria, the commonest is the red type.  The green colour is scanty while the cream colour may not be readily available now.  It has a sweet sour taste.

It is highly medicinal and nutritious.  This is established in the annals of scientific researches as contained in the science journals, health sciences and food chemistry.

The shelf life is three to four days.  The apples stay between 17 and 19 days on the trees during harvest.

Malay apple seed

  It is a single oblate or nearly round seed.  It is light brown externally, green internally, 1.6 – 2.0 cm in width. It is polyembryonic in nature, that is, more than two seedlings could be raised from a single seed.  It germinates readily in two to four weeks.  It has antibiotic activity and has some soothing effects on blood pressure and respiration.  It is medicinal in application and surmount fever.

 

Harvest

Each Malay apple must be carefully plucked from the tree and maintained in cool storage shortly thereafter. To remove from the tree, simply twist the apple’s stem.

Storage

Malay apple does not store well under freezing form of refrigeration.  The shelf life is prolonged under the chilling form of refrigeration at a specific temperature.

Medicinal Uses

         Malayans apply the powder of dried leaves on a cracked tongue.  A preparation of the root is a remedy for itching, and the root bark is useful against dysentery.

         The juice of the crushed leaxes is applied as a lotion and is added to baths.  In Brazil, various parts of the plants are used as remedies for constipation, diabetes, coughs, and headache, among others.

Seeded fruits, seeds, bark and leaves have shown antibiotic activity and have some effects on blood pressure and respiration.

Business Opportunities

 Around 2006, Malay apple was sold for N5, regardless of the size then.  Today, the small size is N50; the big size is N100, while the jumbo size is N150 each.

  As of 2010, a seed was sold for N50 each, but now, each seed is N100.  The germinated seeds are between three to five weeks after planting at the pre – nursery stage.  The cost of each germinated seed is N150.

There is a ready market for the sale of the seedlings especially from March to December each year.

 Why Malay apple farming?

Malay apple helps you to consume fresh apples for healthy living without the use of any chemical preservative. The apples are highly medicinal.  Various parts are used as remedies for overcoming different health challenges. Malay apple tree produces much more apples than the temperate apple tree. It can reduce Nigeria’s import bill on apples from South Africa, Europe and Asia.

 There are wealth creation opportunities for the people in the areas of production, processing into valuable products for local consumption and export, information and internet marketing. It creates job opportunities for graduates of agriculture and other relevant disciples.

ODINAKA ANUDU