Philippines ships aromatic, black rice to Dubai

After 40 years, the Philippines will soon be back to exporting rice as it reaches rice sufficiency by end of 2013. The Department of Agriculture (DA) stressed the good news with a ceremonial shipment of 35 metric tonnes of aromatic, long-grain and organic black rice to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. DA secretary Proceso J. Alcala saw the historic shipment leave the Manila Harbour Center on May 6.

Mr Alcala said that the first export was possible through the combined efforts of farmers groups, the private sector and the DA, and is proof that local farmers have the capability to produce export-quality rice, and are especially competitive in fancy or aromatic, long-grain white varieties and organic coloured and heirloom rice varieties.

The 35-MT shipment is comprised of 15 MT of organic black rice and 20 MT of ‘Jasponica’ or long-grain, aromatic white rice variety. The black rice was produced by farmer-members of the Don Bosco Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBFMPC), in Mlang, North Cotabato, in partnership with the Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Dev’t., Inc. (DBFSDI). The black rice was milled and packed at a DA-KOICA rice processing center in Matanao, Davao del Sur. The Jasponica aromatic white rice was produced by farmers in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, who planted a commercial variety of SL Agritech.