The rich volcanic soil of our plantations, combines with the clean
air and pure water of Borneo to provide the perfect environment
in which to grow nutrient-rich noni fruit.
Noni (botanically known as Morinda Citrifolia) is a
shrub or small tree in the Rubiaceae family. The plant
is native to Malaysia and Southeast Asia but has been introduced far
afield, throughout India and into the Pacific islands as
far as Tahiti. Noni grows in shady forests (making it
ideal for Balung Plantation), as well as on open rocky
or sandy shores. It reaches maturity in about 18 months
and then yields between 4-8 kg of fruit every month
throughout the year. It is tolerant of saline soils,
drought conditions, and secondary soils.
The fruit has a pungent odour when ripe, and is
therefore sometimes known as cheese fruit. It is in oval
shape and reaches 4-7 cm in size. At first green, the
fruit (which contains many seeds) turns yellow then
almost white as it ripens. Despite its strong smell and
bitter taste, the fruit is nevertheless eaten as a
famine food and, in some Pacific islands, even a staple,
either raw or cooked. Southeast Asians and Australian
Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it
with curry. The seeds are edible when roasted.
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