AGGIE UPDATE

Native rice growers need gov’t assistance

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The "unoy," the native Kalinga rice known for its pink, reddish color and rich flavor and aroma, hit the United States market in 2005, thanks to a former Press Corps volunteer, who remembered the delicious rice.

Mary Hensley, native of Ulm, Montana, US, who served in Lubuagan, Kalinga as Press Corps volunteer from 1976 to 1979, formed the Eighth Wonder group that started distributing the "unoy" and the "tinawon" of Ifugao in the US three years ago.

This was done in partnership with the Revitalized Indigenous Cordillera Entrepreneurs, Inc. (RICE), a non-government organization. RICE is in charge of collecting the "unoy" from the farmers in Kalinga and the "tinawon" from Ifugao farmers.

Ironically, despite the fact that the unoy is being exported to the US in the last three years, it is still relatively unknown in the local market. It was noted that the unoy is sold only during trade fairs in Metro Manila.

Rice dealer Manny Onalan says that this is rather sad, given the fact that with the global trend towards organic food, the unoy has a bright future. Unoy rice is grown organically.

Onalan, whose store in the Bulanao public market is the only place in the business center of the city where unoy is available all the time, blames short production for the inability of the unoy to penetrate the local market.

Onalan, who heads the Kalinga Tawid Development Cooperative which comprises of 37 unoy farmers in Kalinga, says the production in the province is only between 70,000 and 120,000 kilos annually.

"We can only penetrate the market if we increase production. The Department of Agriculture should support the unoy farmers in terms of improving the unoy-growing technology such as matching the best unoy variety at a given locality," Onalan said.

Iluminada Calbuyao, chairperson of the Kalinga Organic Unoy Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, says that it would be a great help if the government makes a tractor available for the use of unoy farmers tilling rain-fed farms. -- EAJ