DA expects slowdown in prices of premium homegrown rice    

The massive distribution of a locally developed rice variety is expected to lower retail prices of premium rice, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has instructed the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to ramp up seed production of Mabango 3, known commercially as “Dinorado.”

“We will be asking our nurseries for palay to start producing these seeds in large quantities. This is what we will buy now under the RCEF (Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund) program and distribute,” Tiu Laurel said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

“Once we produce more of this, prices should go down a little,” he said.

While the retail price of Dinorado may be slightly higher than other rice varieties, Tiu Laurel said this could increase palay farmers’ incomes. He added that this variety of rice was also better tasting.

The agriculture chief also expressed hope that the increased production of Dinorado would curb some Filipinos’ growing preference for imported rice.

Tiu Laurel hopes that majority of rice varieties raised by local farmers would be Mabango 3 by 2027, Tiu Laurel said.

Developed by the PhilRice in 2009, Mabango 3 is known for tenderness, flavor and aroma. It can yield up to 8 metric tons per hectare when cultivated on irrigated land.

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So far, the DA has distributed 3 percent of this award-winning rice variety through RCEF, which offers various interventions to boost palay farmers’ productivity and income. It has an annual allocation of P30 billion, funded by tariffs on rice imports. The amount funds high-quality seed production, farm mechanization, as well as training and extension.

In November, Mabango 3 bagged silver medal at the World’s Best Rice Award held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Vietnam’s ST25 rice and Cambodia’s Phka Rumdoul tied for gold award.

“Out of 30 entries from rice powerhouses like Thailand, India and Australia, Mabango outshone 27, proving it has both the substance and the scent to stand among the planet’s finest grains,” the DA said in a statement last month.