Honorable Mayor Matt P. Palabrica of Bingawan, Iloilo says he seldom eats out because he does not like the taste of white rice anymore. He first ate black rice when he attended a barangay fiesta a few years ago and was able to get some seeds from the host which he planted in his own farm every season thereafter. He produces more than enough for his family's needs every season and some for sale to friends and seeds for other farmers in his municipality.
“The particular strain that I have is a traditional variety and is soft and flavorful, just like the taste of denorado but totally black that the uninitiated may not like what it looks at first glance but when he has started, he would eat a lot of it”.
“Black rice is also relatively easy to grow and its potential yield is as good as any open pollinated variety. Its one advantage is that birds seem not to be attracted to the fruting stand as the grain color is much different from the modern rice that we are familiar with. We can also use organic methods because of its natural resistance against common rice pests”, said Mayor Palabrica.
“We are serious about the massive propagation of black rice in our small town because of the demand for this as a functional food. More people are now aware of its health benefits and its role in preventing a host of lifestyle diseases like dabetes and heart problems. The black pigmentation of the pericarp of black rice is well documented as a potent anthocianin or flavonoid that plays crucial roles in tumor growth prevention and in strengthening the body's immune system”, he added.
Carmelo Oren, a rice specialist at the Provincial Agriculture Office can only asgree. He has isolated an accession and planted this on a borrowed rice land so that he can disperse the seeds to farmers in his area of coverage which is in Central Iloilo. “My strain is almost similar to that of Mayor Matt”, Oren said. The eating quality is as good and already, Mr. Oren has more than recovered his production cost due to his sales of the rice grain and the seeds that farmers bought from him.
“It is however unfortunate that we don't have rice mills capable of just skinning off the hulls and leaving the whole pericarp intact. Most often, the black rice that I mill for consumption ends up like white rice because the mills cannot adjust their rollers to just break the hulls and leave the whole kernel with the whole skin unpolished. This way we can get the most benefits from the dark pigments of the pericarp”, Oren added. Mobile rice mills also use rubber rollers but their adjustments are for well-milled grains which are normally the output demanded by the consumers. Commercial rice mills also don't have adjustments for the brown rice which needs only its hull removed.
Brown rice is a product coming out of the white varieties but with its pericarp intact thus it looks brown, while black and red rice are specific strains or varieties where their pericarp are either red or deep purple. The deep purple variety is mistaken as black. Both black and red rices are said to be high in antioxidants and are considered the first line of defense against lifestyle diseases such as heart, diabetes and cancer. The anthocyanin contained in these varieties guard against the rapid breakdown of cells when oxygen and other chemicals react with cells during metabolic processes.
“The potential yield of many traditional red and black strains can compare with the new so-called open pollinated 'improved' varieties”, says Oren. “In the 2,000 sq. meters farm that I rented to grow my particular strain, I harvested about 15 cavans despite being water-stressed and having been fertilized with just chicken manure and never been sprayed with pesticides. Mayor Palabrica in Bingawan averages 90 cavans per hectare which translates to a gross of about 270 cavans in the 3.0 hectares that he dedicates for the black rice every first cropping (June to September) of each year”.
“On first glance, this may be considered low productivity but when sold in the market at his dictated price of P80.00 per kilogram of clean rice, Mayor Palabrica easily grosses P180,000 to P190,000 per
hectare.However, being a mayor of his town, he can sell only half of his produce and gets to mill and serve much of his produce not only to his guests but also to his constituents whom he wants to convince to engage in this emerging sunshine industry. Ordinarily, farmers get about 100 cavans from open pollinated varieties and gross about P50,000 per hectare”, says Oren.
Collectively, only about 20 hectares of rice farms are planted to black and red rice, according to Oren. These are mostly for consumption by the farmers and some are fcor sale. “If you will observe, red and black rice are immediately sold when displayed in the local markets because of the growing awareness of their health benefits. In Leganes town, there are ony 3 rice dealers selling red rice and their stocks last only a few days when they display or serve notice that they have red or black rice. The Iloilo SuperMart chain also sell black and red rice but often gets sold out immediately”.
“We have been given marching orders byGovernor Arthur Defensor, Sr. to develop this commodity throughout the province. At this point, we are multiplying the seeds of known high yielding strains for dispersal or outright sale to farmers. The opportunity is in both the rice seeds and in the ready to cook black and red rice products. There is also the potential for healthful snacks made out of these varieties. We plan to expand up to 100 hectares in the next two years and from there, we will be able to supply a bigger market outside of the province and city”, finally said Oren.
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