Negros farmers start exporting organic rice to Switzerland

BACOLOD CITY — A cargo vessel loaded with 10 tons of organic rice left Bredco Port here for Switzerland.

It was the initial shipment of organic rice stocks produced locally by farm communities in eight towns and cities in Negros Occidental, which are being assisted by the Broad Initiatives for Negros Development Inc. (BIND).

The rice exports were produced in organic farms being cultivated by 5,000 BIND-assisted farmers in Calatrava, Don Salvador Benedicto, Murcia, Pontevedra, San Enrique, La Castellana, Bago and La Carlota, Negros Occidental.

Rice samples sent by BIND-Negros to Switzerland passed the stringent Swiss laboratory tests for organic standards.

Switzerland’s per capita spending on organic products is now pegged at $95.32, which is second only to Denmark’s $113.59.

BIND program coordinator Benedicto Sanchez said the farmers’ produce have hurdled the first test by passing the lab tests and finally shipping the initial stocks. The next challenge is passing the requirement for whole grains, he said.

Fair trade organization Claro, the exporter, emphasized that the rice must not have more than 15 percent broken or chipped grains.

Since broken or whole grains have never been an issue even in upscale Philippine markets, rice millers didn’t see the need to invest on high-grade threshers that can generally churn out whole grains, Sanchez said.

To ensure the quality of rice exports, farmers were organized into assembly-type work teams in sorting and separating broken grains from whole grains, using the tedious, labor-intensive winnowing process, he added.

If the export passes Swiss standards, there will eventually be a need, a demand even, to invest on high-quality rice milling machines like the ones used by the Thais, he also said.

The exportation is being brokered by the Philippine International Trade Corporation (PITC) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which helped prepare the documentation for the exports.

PITC is a government-owned international trading company that implements a variety of special transactions including counter-trade, industrial offsets and third country trading.

With its wealth of agricultural resources, the Philippines is poised to ride the global organic wave, as emphasis on wellness and responsible consumerism and the demand for natural and organic food and health products grows worldwide.

Some of the most promising exports in this sector include muscovado sugar, virgin coconut oil, banana chips, and natural food supplements and personal care products.