In these times when organic foods are increasingly gaining approval among health-conscious people, more and more farmers are going into organic production.

For the farmer-members of the Kilolog Multi-Purpose Farmers Cooperative (KIMFACO) in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, producing organic rice has become very rewarding as they have not only found a sure market for their produce, but likewise preserve the well-being of the people in the community. That is because they have already withdrawn from the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in rice farming which pose health and environmental hazards.

With the initiative from the local government unit of Magsaysay in partnership with Don Bosco Diocesan Youth Center, Inc. and with the grant aid from the Canadian Government, organic rice production was proposed in 2002 as one of the flagship projects under Magsaysays Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Commercial production of organic rice took off in 2003 when initial harvests were sold at the community level. At first there was difficulty in introducing organic rice to the consumers due to its higher price (current price is P40 per kilo). Again with the assistance from LGU, organic rice was repackaged and was given the brand name MagRice, which stands for Magsaysay Rice.

HOW MAGRICE IS PRODUCED
MagRice, as claimed, is organically grown by the farmer-partners in the community. Carlos C. Ortiz, program manager, says that farmers adopt biodynamic and Korean natural farming methods and preparations by using indigenous materials and preparations. These include milk and honey spray, detoxified rice seeds, natural minerals, composts and herbs.

Milk and honey spray, according to Ortiz, is traditionally used by farmers in European and Western countries for their orchard. Here in the Philippines, it is the first time that milk and honey spray is used for rice production, he said. The concoction can attract natural enemies in the field, improves aroma and grain quality, and claimed to make the grains heavier.

On one hand, the use of detoxified rice seeds (seeds produced from third to sixth croppings) is aimed to make sure that the resulting crops will be free from the traces of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The farmers carefully practice roguing or elimination of mixes to preserve the purity of the seeds. Only the traditional inbred varieties from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are planted by farmer-partners.

Relatively, measures are adopted to prevent contamination of the crops. One of which is building buffer zones by planting vegetables along the paddies and constructing canalets at every boundary.

The farmers were also taught on soil nutrient management and development. They practice composting and making organic fertilizers right at their own farm. They also apply natural minerals such as crystal quarts to meet the mineral requirement of the crops.

Korean technologies such as the use of fish amino acid, plant enzymes and juices to supplement nutrients are continuously practiced.

GOOD YIELD
By adopting the recommended technology for MagRice, yield stands at three to 4.5 tons per hectare (t/ha) for farmers who are first time in organic rice farming, and 5 to 5.5 t/ha for those who are into organic farming for quite a longer time.

DEMAND IS INCREASING
On the average, 50 bags of MagRice are sold in every outlet per month. Currently, there are two authorized distributors of MagRice in Magsaysay. The demand increases during lean seasons when some of the consumers turn to organic rice for their rice requirements.

One typical problem encountered in organic rice production is the low supply. To address this, farmer-partners are being encouraged to sell their produce directly to the co-op to maximizc their profit. The farmers are insured of good price for their organic palay which is bought at a higher price per kilo.

At present, there are approximately 3,000 rice farmers in Magsaysay. Out of this number, 143 farmers are into organic farming.

MARKETING
One marketing strategy developed for MagRice is selling it at the government and private offices. LGU Magsaysay also continuously promotes MagRice by attending trade fairs in the province and nearby provinces. And it did not take long before MagRice became one of the bestsellers in these trade fairs.

MagRice is available in 2, 5, 25 and 50-kilogram packaging. One can choose from aromatic rice, long grain softy white rice, red rice and fancy rice.

Millions of years ago, men and women lived harmoniously with nature which provided abundant food for them. Having no other goal but survival, they had no idea of manipulating an organism or enhancing the organic food into more tasty and palatable recipes. They learned how to find their food by hunting and then later through farming. When people crossed the boundary towards civilization, mass production became a big part of every national economy. Research and development were focused on creating high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and the unnatural method of propagating and producing these varieties.

The choice the human race made in the past is now revealing its lessons. However, these lessons are still veiled to majority of the people. To a few people, they have already decided to go back to organic farming or organic food consumption. To protect the interest of the consumers, organic food certification authorities have been set up in many countries. Many are also following suit.

With the way internet has changed the world, the internet now offers organic food online. Consumers can simply connect to the web, look for organic food online and process the order of organic food online, right at the comfort of their home. The availability of information over the net makes it also possible for consumers to check the authenticity of products claiming to be organic food. Organic certification authority has a list of organic food certified products, suppliers and manufacturers.

Organic food has more vitamins and minerals than ordinary food which contains harmful chemicals as a result of pesticide and herbicide application. A high-yielding variety of carrot, for example, is bigger than organic carrot. However, organic carrot contains more nutrients because it was grown on fertile soil with organic fertilizers.

Organic food, much more organic food online, are usually more expensive than ordinary food. One of the unveiled reasons is that the government subsidizes the more pervasive inorganic agriculture while organic food producers have yet to receive support from government. Since production of organic crops necessitates the use of natural fertilizers and forbids harmful chemicals in pesticides and herbicides, the labor cost is higher. This means controlling the weeds and pests manually instead of simply spraying. The yield is also low as compared to HYVs.

If computed, however, it would always turn out to be more expensive for consumers of inorganic food because part of the people’s taxes go to agricultural subsidies and consumers pay more for their health when they get sick. Organic food consumers are feeding the body with clean elements, therefore, they also have a cleaner and healthy body. Since they have more energy, they have more time to work, less stress and more income opportunities.

When cultivate organic rice, the organic fertilizer has to be used to provide the needed nutrient for the crop, while field rotation crop and manual management are employed to control grass of the field. Also, tiny-net for incoming water is used in order to avoid grass seeds from coming. For the field pest control, herbal mixture of tea or manpower is used to prevent ampullarium insularum, and bacillus thuringiensis against pest and inset. Since Taiwan is located in sub-tropic area, it is mostly with high temperature and humidity and is quite difficult to control pest. Furthermore, as its land of farming is tiny and small, the size is not up to economic scale for farming; under small and intensive farming, the cultivation of organic rice is, indeed, a tough industry. With the aging of farming population, the industry, which needs massive manpower and time to tend to, is encountered with inevitable difficulty for its a prior cultivation and posthumous implementation. Also, harvest of organic farming would usually reap 60% of regular farming, rendering difficulty to the plantation of organic rice in realistic and economic terms. Not to mention there would be media reports from time to time about organic rice being polluted by neighboring field, or the ambiguous statement of so-called plant nutriment mixed chemical fertilizer. Of the these practical problems, it is difficult for farmer of organic rice to elaborate, and if relevant government authorities would not help to investigate it would only leave the general consumers to linger in loss in the myth of what exactly is organic rice.

As a matter of fact, organic rice does have its selling proposition, however, the significance of which to the entire natural environment and consumers seem to have lose it focus. For the field management of existing agricultural system, correct code employment of agricultural chemical, incoming agricultural chemical of raw material product as well as examination and control of heavy metal, and clean processing technology, it is absolutely possible that one can have processed rice today with agricultural chemical than regulated by government laws or standards or free from agricultural chemical. Besides, it seems to be more feasible and practical technologically than so-call organic cultivation, while consumers do not have to pay than times of price than regular rice merely for organic on the package. Nonetheless, no one can really guarantee you the so-call organic product you consume is truly as it is.

Using 21st century novel and green manufacturing technology, Yi Mei produces good rice as it uses supercritical critical fluid of pollution-free technology to conduct the processing procedure of rice cleaning under the pressure of supercritical condition over three hundred atmosphere in order to effectively cleanse off possible residual agricultural chemical and heavy metal, eliminate micro-bacteria, and insect eggs. Furthermore, it can efficiently wash off the residual crop oil on rice surface, rendering it to be wash-free rice. Using such high-tech rice cleansing skill from semi-conductor industry, it not helps to conduct new interpretation to rice safety and hygiene today, but also builds up with scientific foundation for processing procedures and product guarantee. From the raw materials to finished product, it is the certified business awarded with ISO 9001 quality management certification system among rice product industry of the country. Besides, under the supervision and control of analysis experiment laboratory of ISO 17025 (TAF) of national-level laboratory every lot of rice is found in 4.5 tons as a unit with repeated analysis done with raw material, manufacturing process, and product. And more than 92 kinds of tests of residual agricultural chemicals including organic potassium, organic chlorine amino formic acid salt are conducted as well as analysis control of heavy metal pollutions higher than legally regulated, such as silver, lead, cadmium, and arsenic are done. The raw material of legally cleared rice would then pass through supercritical critical fluid to further clear off possible residual agricultural chemical in the rice. As for heavy metal, it is further regulated to test of arsenic heavy metal likely from underground water, which is not stipulated for organic rice. Since the frequency of examination for product is given with greater supervision, and therefore, it provides with substantial significance than that of the certification of organic rice awarded by the government. As a result, what Yi Mei produces good rice offers consumers is truly better rice with thorough guarantee.

The introduction of organic rice into the concept of production traceability is a wonderful idea as it could help every lot of rice from the field to the dinner table with traceable record. Only that the government still has to work with its regulations and legal provisions for improvement; otherwise, thing like unqualified rice being taken off from the business shelves months by rice suppliers as a gesture months after government notice and gazettes would continue to stage. Surely, what happens subsequently does not seem to concern anyone, but then such rice is already consumed. Therefore, if production traceability is merely conducted based on the consciousness of rice farmer while the government does not conduct strictly the inspection and supervisal under its system of quality and food safety management system, incident as organic rice should continue to occur.

The incident of organic rice left with residual agricultural chemical only signifies that even with certification label it does not indicate it is free from residual agricultural chemical. As for residual extent of agricultural chemical not to the extent for alert, it wont not necessarily indicate that consumer can partake it with assurance. And it is not fair for consumer merely resorting to symbolic penalty against business suppliers who utilizes inconsistency to label, while the authorities in-charge-of that ignore existing problem are really overlooking the welfare of the general public. Yi Mei produces good rice exploits supercritical critical fluid technology to clean rice to ensure that rice is guaranteed with quality supervision, and the rice product manufactured under food safety management system would be of such Good Taiwanese Rice even better than organic rice. To some extent, it is definitely more meaningful than merely being taken in with organic as packaged on the bag, and consumers do not have to spend times of money than that of regular rice to buy such steep organic rice.