Sunday, January 15, 2006
Upland rice varieties making a comeback
MALAPATAN, Sarangani -- Thanks to the cultural tradition of members of the B'laan tribe, rare varieties of upland rice here still thriving.
Soon these rare varieties of upland rice might be out for commercial consumption and become a common feature in the tables of lowlanders.
Experts who documented traditional farms in Barangay Kihan here were stunned to find what they described as Sarangani's "untold treasure trove of cultural wealth."
"In the upland villages of Kihan lies over a hundred varieties of traditional rice constituting a premium rice germplasm, which rarity and diversity blend with the unique customs and traditions of its people," said Dr. Jaime Namocatcat, chairman of the Mindanao State University Science Department.
Of the 110 varieties of traditional upland rice documented in Kihan, Namocatcat's group has so far collected at least 45 varieties.
"It is believed that there could be more than 110 cultivars (species)...the uncollected cultivars are either lost or kept by a few elders of the community," Namocatcat said.
Last July, Mindanao State University and Sarangani's Indigenous Peoples' Development Program (IPID) launched Kihan as a model site for upland rice research and development in the province.
"It specifically targets the documentation and conservation of remaining traditional rice varieties of Sarangani and the preservation of local customs and traditions associated with traditional rice," said Josephine Cariño, community affairs assistant of the provincial IPDP.
Of the premium traditional rice germplasm, she added, they were able to identify three, which are Mlal Fali (early maturing, three to three and a half months), Laweh Fali (late maturing, four to six months) and Mlikat Fali (glutinous rice and which is usually late maturing).
Some of the amusing names of the individual upland rice are Bantong, Blanak, Bulabed, Fanda Bulaw, Fantilanen, Fitam Kwat, Fungol, Kaltuna, Kanadal, Kanone, Mlikat Lagfisan, Magles, Manabang, Mlitaw, Mlikat, Balot, Mlikat Blawen, Mlikat Byad, Mlikat Garong, Mlikat Labas, Mlikat Samlaka, Mlikat Linda, Mlikat Tabe, Nlakon, Sfikt, Tinda, Ubo, and Yos.
Namocatcat said that as a model site, Kihan would be developed as seed production center of traditional upland rice for dispersal in the province.
"We want to train farmers in the sustainable production of upland rice and in the selection of cultivars for future commercial scale production," he added.
(January 2, 2006 issue
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