DILIMAN, Quezon City—For eight years now, Jocelyn Reyes has dedicated almost half of their Joyful Garden Farm Organic Farmer’s Association Inc. not only to grow brown, red, and black rice but also to help demonstrate related production practices to other farmers.
“Ever since we started at ‘Joyful’ in 2015, we have been producing pigmented rice. We have portions of the farm for red, brown, and black rice. At the same time, our property is also intended to train fellow farmers who want to learn how to grow pigmented rice and, at the same time, how to market their produce,” she said in a radio interview.
Reyes’ farm is a Learning Site for Agriculture certified by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI). It is located on Brgy. Mataas na Parang, San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
According to Reyes, the processes in growing pigmented rice are the same with how white rice is being produced. She shared that they follow the nine key checks recommended under the PalayCheck System.
“Brown rice is produced after the hull or husk is removed in the milling process. It undergoes a single pass through the rubber roller. But, when it goes through the rubber roller four times, it becomes white rice. Meanwhile, there are recommended varieties for red rice and black rice,” she explained.
Reyes also talked about the nutritional benefits in eating unpolished rice and other pigmented rice. She also encouraged the listeners to support the consumption of pigmented rice to help create more demand for these products.
Reyes’ full radio interview aired on the ATI’s “Agri Asenso” on DZRH last November 11. This was in line with the celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month.
The episode is available at https://www.facebook.com/ATIinteractive/videos/691200709398407/.
