Brown rice craze hits Dumaguete

DUMAGUETE grew hotter as the brown rice fever hit the city with Oxfam and Dakila’s launch of the Brown Rice Campaign on Wednesday, September 5, at Robinsons Place.

Mallgoers were treated to a host of activities that included an organic market, food fair, free diet consultation clinic, photo booth, and celebrity cook-off challenge.

Brown Rice advocates sports enthusiast and TV personality Reema Chanco, actor-comedian Tado Jimenez, and restaurateur Erik Waldie talked about their experiences on eating brown rice.

“In our history, brown rice was the staple food in the Philippines until the Westerners introduced white rice. Today, people look at brown rice and think it is only for the rich. We want to change that, live out history, and make brown rice once more a staple in every Filipino’s table,” said Nityalila Saulo, Brown Rice Campaign project head.

Under Oxfam’s Grow campaign and in partnership with Dakila-Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, the Brown Rice campaign aims to revive brown or “unpolished” rice back to the regular diet of the Filipino.

“Brown rice is good for you - as a person -, your family, your community, and ultimately, the country. It not only makes you and your family healthy, it also helps our local farmers and makes the Philippines become more self-sustaining when it comes to rice, paving the way for increased food security. We encourage everyone to join the bandwagon and let the brown rice fever hit them too!” comedian Tado added.

“The milling of brown rice has less wastage. Increased production would mean increased supply of locally available rice which can reduce our dependence on rice importation,” said Marie Nunez, Oxfam Public Campaigns manager.

“It will definitely be good for the country, especially if it is grown organically, and procured from local farmers. This will certainly help us achieve our goal of rice self-sufficiency,” she added.

“What better place to launch the Brown Rice Campaign but in Dumaguete, a city in a province which pushes for Organic Negros,” said Theresa Quijano, a livelihood specialist and a Dumagueteno whose family practices organic farming methods such as System of Rice Intensification (SRI).

Farmers who employ SRI methods attest to the fact that they are able to produce more rice with fewer requirements of inputs of water, seed and labor, and less negative impacts on the environment.

The Brown Rice Campaign in Dumaguete was made possible by Oxfam, Dakila Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism and sponsored by Robinsons Mall, Young Entrepreneurs Society of Silliman, Dumaguete City Tourism Office, Silliman University Nutrition and Dietetics Society, KALIKAF, and KRI Restaurant. (PR)