Banana leaves shortage affects Cagayan’s delicacy
SANCHEZ MIRA, CAGAYAN—The popular rice cake “suman latik” in this northernmost town in Cagayan has been a favorite delicacy that tourists and villagers crave for more.
However, suman latik makers here have been facing a common problem after recent typhoons—the scarcity of banana leaves.
Typhoon “Nando” (international name: Ragasa) that swept through Luzon and the Visayas from Sept. 24 to Sept. 25, and Typhoon Paolo (Matmo) that dumped heavy rains on Cagayan Valley on Oct. 3 took its toll on Sanchez Mira’s banana plantation, ravaging banana-growing farms, causing damage reaching P21 million, as certified by the town agriculturist here.
“We are facing the risk of of not being able to produce enough suman latik for the upcoming All Saints Day, All Souls Day and Christmas holidays due to a severe shortage of banana leaves,” said Helen Grande, 56, who has been making the delicacy for the past 29 years.
Sanchez Mira, which is mainly an agricultural town, is a northernmost municipality in Cagayan province, nearer to the Ilocos Region than the province’s capital city in Tuguegarao. Most of its 26,164 population (based on the 2020 census) in 18 barangays depend on farming, fishing and livestock raising.
The town is also being promoted as a tourism destination, with its pristine beaches as main offering. Delicacies like suman latik have become part of the “pasalubong” (take home products) items from the town.
Vital component
Banana leaves have been a “vital part of making suman latik,” as the quality of leaves and at the right age are needed as wrappers, so that each batch of said delicacy is cooked correctly, Grande stressed.
Suman latik, which is served with a coconut caramel sauce and steamed in banana leaves, have been associated with the town’s rice cake making industry due to its sticky glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk and a pinch of salt until half-done,“which is soft and chewy after steaming, and made extra delicious with a rich and creamy sauce,” she added.
The mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and then boiled or steamed until soft and chewy. It is regarded as a filling snack or dessert and delicious with a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea.
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Federico Oamil, another rice cake maker, said he alone used to produce an average of 8,000 pieces of suman latik during peak season and with bountiful banana leaves ready to be used.
However, the lack of banana leaves had left him with only about 500 pieces of suman latik a day, barely earning enough money for the raw materials and other expenses.
Now, he and other rice cake makers have to search for available banana leaves all the way to Pamplona town, its neighboring town.
“As a result of the leaf shortage, we don’t reject any leaves now. We have to use everything because we can hardly find any good ones,” Grande added.
Meantime, men working at the rice cake making shop would climb hills and mountains to gather and buy leaves, just so they can use them and continue their business.
Farmer Paulino Uamil of Sitio Cureg from Barangay Callungan here said his farm have some banana plants spared by the typhoons but the number was limited and they could not transport the cut leaves without a tricycle due to the remoteness of his field.
“I also want to sell banana leaves to the suman latik makers but our problem is we are far from the market and we have limited leaves available now, unlike before,” he said on Friday.
To help the rice making industry workers, the municipal tourism office has been asking people “who know banana plantations with good quality leaves which are not torn, not newly sprouted or too soft” to contact the local government unit so that the makers can buy from them, Carla Pulido Ocampo, the town’s tourism officer and designated information officer said.
