Rice from the Cordilleras is about to join the exclusive group of Champagne and Darjeeling tea.
Cordillera Heirloom Rice is planned to be registered for geographical indication (GI) which signifies qualities specific to their geographical origin and nowhere else.
The designation means the qualities, characteristics and reputation of the 34 heirloom rice landraces, 14 of them glutinous, are linked directly to the place of origin: the Cordilleras.
A GI recognizes only the Cordilleras as the source of the heirloom rice: in the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province.
In the case of the Cordillera Heirloom Rice, the list of the heirloom rice landraces was finalized during the review of the Book of Specifications (BOS) made last March 31. The review was facilitated by the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Cordillera office and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The BOS is required for registration in the GI.
According to FAO consultants, the adoption of GI can provide better value for the crop and give protection for the promotion of origin-linked products.
The Heirloom Rice Project is a pilot initiative prior to a national legal framework for GI in the country.
Cordillera farmers, in collaboration with the DA, selected and characterized the landraces. Landraces are cultivated plants that are genetically diverse but with a distinct identity — that it comes from the Cordilleras.
The farmers agreed to collectively call them Cordillera Heirloom Rice. Other landraces in the country will be included in the next registration for Geographical Indication.
The heirloom rice from Benguet are the balatinaw, bongkitan, talangkay, kabal, lablabi and lasbakan.
The nine landraces from Ifugao are the cabluy, ingngudpol, pingkitan, dona-al, fha’lar, imbuukan, innawi, minaangan, and pinidwa.
Those from Kalinga namely are alig/tilupong, allugit/sinuking/yonga, ralag, waray/walay, unoy red, unoy white, kintan/intan/ulikan red, and intan/ulikan white.
There are 11 landraces from Mountain Province: kotinaw/engngopor, ominion/manmansa/balatinaw, saliket, waray/walay, chor-chor-os, gilgilang/akangan,sungduan, gomiki, koril, puliki, bangloan and intan red/kinogoong/kintan/intan/ulikan red.
From the 34 heirloom rice landraces, there were 23 product types identified based on the endosperm type (glutinous and non-glutinous), milling, pigmentation, aroma, size, and shapes.
