Eggplant Farming in the Philippines

November 8, 2023 by Lauro Braganza

Eggplant farming is one of the most profitable vegetable farming businesses, easy to grow, plant, manage, and harvest. Eggplant is another popular vegetable here in the Philippines because of its delicious taste, delicious ingredients in dishes, and most of all the price of its dough. Eggplant is probably the top vegetable in the Philippines as it can be cooked fried, torta, inihaw, and anything else in a short time.

We all know that Filipinos love cheap goods. But it looks better if you have your crop, in addition to having food that can still be sold.

What is Eggplant

Eggplant or talong is a well-known vegetable commonly eaten by Filipinos. It is from a small plant covered with pointed feathers. It has purple and yellow flowers in the middle, while the fruit that is used as a vegetable is long. This plant commonly grows in many plantations throughout the Philippine archipelago.

eggplant-farming — Eggplant farmers in Iloilo. Image Credit My Beautiful Iloilo

The fruit contains trigonelline, choline, vitamins A B, and C, fats, protein, and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, and iron.

It also contains stigmasterol, stigmasterol-ß-D-glucoside, ß-sitosterol-ß-D-glucoside, dioscin, protodioscin, and methyl protodioscin. It also has flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and steroids.

Now that you know what eggplant is and what vitamins it contains, let’s find out how to grow eggplant.

Eggplant Farming Basics

Quick Eggplant Planting Guide

Prepare seedbed. For example, 200 to 300 seeds are right for one acre of land.
Mix with decomposed manure or compost and carbonized hull.
Water the seedling and line it horizontally with a spacing of 10-15 cm.
Sprinkle the seeds sparingly and cover them with thin compost.
Cover with chaff or straw and re-hose, and cover with plastic or net during the rainy season.
Water with tea manure if the seedlings lack vigor. You can also use a nursery tray to make the seedlings look better.

Land Preparation and Plotting

Plow and cultivate the land for planting. Clean the field and apply organic fertilizer.
Mix animal manure in the field, 10-20 tons per hectare or 1-2 kilos per square meter.

Using plastic mulch

Make a plot with a width of one meter and any length.
Mixing manure and compost lay plastic mulch with a width of 1.2 m. The color is lead on the top and black on the bottom.
Ground one end and roll the plastic cover over the plot. It is better to use plastic mulch if the weather is hot so that it is tight.
Punch the plastic ½ apart, 2 lines in the plot. Use a heated can for drilling.

Transplanting of seedlings

Seedlings can be transplanted after 4 weeks of sowing
The line or tudling has a spacing of 1-1.2 meters.
Water before and after planting and cover with straw or grass.

Caring while growing

Water every 7-10 days or as needed.
Weed the tree but leave grass between paths, Water with tea manure once a week if the plant is unhealthy.
Fertilize with manure and ash once a month, cut off the branches and leaves below the first fruit.
When this is done correctly, a bountiful harvest follows.

Important things to consider when growing eggplant

Use the intercropping method. Take turns planting different vegetables in and around the eggplant. Plant basil, Amarillo, sunflower, lemongrass, and okra around.
Avoid flooded areas. You must avoid this so that your crop does not drown which will cause its death.
Eggplant can be planted in any month and anywhere in the Philippines but it’s best from February to June.

Questions Related to Eggplant Farming in the Philippines

What month is the best to plant eggplant in the Philippines?

The crop can be grown any time of the year in areas with good irrigation and drainage. The first planting is usually done from October to February; the second planting is from May to September. Eggplant grows best in sandy loam to clay loam soils.

How long does eggplant take to grow in the Philippines?

Talong or eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a vegetable that is extensively grown locally. Producing this crop will only take three to four months when grown from seed.

What is the best fertilizer for eggplant?

Fertilize weekly with a soluble fertilizer. Until the plants start to flower use a balanced fertilizer with a 1-1-1 ratio such as 20-20-20 or 20-30-20. Once flowering starts switch to a high potassium blend such as 9-15-30 or any fertilizer with a 1-1.5-3 or 4 ratio.

What is the best variety of eggplant in the Philippines?

Long and purple eggplant varieties, like the Fortuner F1 and Banate King F1, are popular in most regions in the Philippines. Meanwhile, long, green, and white eggplant like the Amor F1 is grown mostly in Batangas. Our Ilocano fellowmen prefer the short and oblong types like the Domino F1.

Is eggplant farming profitable in the Philippines?

Eggplant farming in the Philippines is a profitable business and a major source of income for farmers.

What is the eggplant yield per hectare in the Philippines?

The average yield of eggplant per hectare in the Philippines is 9.95 tons, which is about half of the average yield in Asia and the world.

How many eggplants per hectare?

Commercial growers after years of practice collect 12-15 full-size eggplants for every healthy plant, but this also depends on the variety and desired size of the harvested fruit. A good yield after years of practice is 25 to 40 tons per hectare. There are cases in which farmers harvested 60 tons per hectare or even more.

What is the spacing for planting eggplant?

Practice crop rotation. Space eggplants 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.