The local rice industry has been beset by several concerns. Among these are low prices, glut of imported rice, low-cost competitiveness of local rice relative to imported rice, poor productivity, low production efficiency, pests and diseases and climate change. All these drastically reduced farmer’s incomes and displaced some rice farmers and workers.
Value-adding is seen as one of the strategies that can be promoted to cope with the constraints affecting rice farmers. Adding value to products from rice can enhance product quality, nutritional and health properties, shelf-life, availability and market value that can benefit the rice farming households, communities, consumers and industry stakeholders by serving as an alternative livelihood that will increase farm income and local employment.
With this the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro proposed a partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – MIMAROPA and the Mindoro State University (MINSU) to establish a Rice-based Product Innovation Center to promote rice-based product development to stir enterprise development that will provide an alternative and stable market for rice to sustain rice production and generate employment opportunities displaced by the reduced rice production and milling activities as well as provide higher returns from rice farming. This will cater more than 30,000 rice farmers, 278 traders and rice millers, MSMEs, and other stakeholders in the province.
Through the Rice-based Product Innovation Center, products such as nutri-curls, crispy rice popped cake, rice drink/ tea, and other innovative products will be developed and standardized for commercialization and will then be disseminated to farmers and rural-based organizations for adoption. These products ensure guarantee markets given the increasing demand for healthy snacks and with the booming tourism of the province, it will perfectly fit the concept of homecoming present/ pasalubong.
Considering how value addition can increase market value of produce, open new markets, and increase market reach translating to higher farm income, it is indeed one of the best strategies to employ to help rice farmers cope with the adverse impacts of the Rice Tariffication Law and the COVID-19 pandemic.
