DA-CAR promotes Cordillera heirloom rice

AGGIE UPDATES

BANAUE, Ifugao – Heirloom rice was promoted here by the Dept. of Agriculture  here recently as a world-class staple.

To raise more public awareness on the Be Riceponsible campaign, the DA conducted the BROWN4good challenge and exhibit at the Banaue Hotel, Banaue, Ifugao Aug. 31.

The challenge was part of the on-going RICEponsible campaign promoted the goodness of eating brown rice as healthier rice.

The #BROWN4good campaign and exhibit featured Cordillera’s heirloom rice. The rice is traditionally processed as unpolished rice. 

It is known to be rich in protein, high in fat, mineral and vitamin contents. The growing of heirloom rice is closely associated to the culture and traditions of the native Filipinos in the highlands of Northern Luzon.

Part of the exhibition was Heirloom Rice Project’s  enhancing productivity and enriching heirloom rice legacy by empowering communities in unfavorable rice-based ecosystems; and provision of various production, harvest, postharvest equipment and processing machineries, among others.

Heirloom rice farmers’ cooperatives displayed their own varieties of heirloom rice and by-products like rice wines. A free tasting of heirloom rice delicacies such as ballatinaw, linapet and inandilla were also done.

Sec. Emmanuel Piñol said that he will support heirloom rice to the international market saying “I will lead the marketing of your heirloom rice all over the world; we will showcase the heirloom rice in the California state trade fair in November, so you must also be ready.”

The #BROWN4good challenge is an offshoot of the 2013 Be RICEponsible campaign in accordance with the government’s bid to achieve rice self-sufficiency. It is a noble social media advocacy campaign designed to promote the consumption of unpolished brown rice to help address the four major problems afflicting the Filipino population to inlcude undernourishment, low income of rice farmers, rice self-sufficiency and hunger. – CK Rosario

DA gives P11M farming machines to Ifugao farmers

BANAUE, Ifugao--  The eleven municipalities of the province have received more than P11-million worth of agri- machineries  and farm inputs on August 31 here.

Agriculture Sec. Emmanuel “Manny” Pinol led the turn-over of machineries and farm-inputs to farmer leaders and local chief executives.

About 34 farmers associations and seven local government units will be benefitting from the awarded machineries and farm-inputs consisting of four -wheel drive corn and cassava tractors, corn mill, rice planters, shredders, mechanical shellers, assorted seed and others.

The corn-producing town of  Alfonso Lista received the most  with P5,101,298.00 worth of  machineries,  followed by Aguinaldo – P2,650,858.00 and Lamut – P2,306,534.00.

Pinol stressed that this is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to provide available and affordable food for the people.

Before the turn-over, Pinol conducted, “Tapatan: Gobyerno at Mamamayan,” a dialogue with local officials and farmers to identify issues and concerns that need to be immediately addressed by the present administration.

The Secretary instantly granted most of the request to help farmers increase their yields; however proposals with big fundings shall be subjected to feasibility study and validation. -- Marcelo B. Lihgawon