Manila buys more! ADDITIONAL ORDER OF 150-MT BOOSTS ORGANIC RICE FARMING

The City Government of Manila has placed an additional order of 150-metric tons of Organic Black, Brown and Red Rice from Mindanao, boosting the sagging spirits of rice farmers adversely affected by the unimpeded inflow of imported rice.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has started a program which distributes organic rice to the city’s senior citizens which he said is more healthy than giving them cakes for Christmas.

The Mayor said that the program is also aimed at helping Mindanao Organic Rice Farmers who participated in the 1st MinDA Tienda sa Manila held at the Kartilya ng Katipunan Plaza in October this year.

The new order is in addition to the first purchase made by the City of Manila of 650-metric tons worth over P40-M.

The whole volume has already been delivered to Manila from Mindanao by a convoy of truck vans.

Manila’s Organic Rice Program for its senior citizens has also attracted the attention of other Metro Manila Cities who have already forwarded inquiries on how to buy the Black, Brown and Red Rice from Mindanao.

This growing demand for Organic Rice is expected to boost the program of the Mindanao Development Atuhority (MinDA) which created a window for the region’s rice farmers adversely affected by the flooding of imported rice.

While the farm gate price for commercial paddy rice dropped from P20 per kilo to as low as P10 in the last harvest season, Organic Black, Brown and Red rice buying price is at P25 per kilo.

MinDA has organized all organic rice farmers associations under the Mindanao Organic Rice Council (MORCO) which was formed last year to support the growing Organic Rice Industry.

Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a pioneering farmers’ group in Organic Rice Farming, is the coordinating organization for the Mindanao Organic Rice Program.

The purchase of 800-metric tons of Organic Rice by the City Government of Manila is the single biggest sale ever made by the Organic Rice Farmers.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#AgricultureIsCommonSense!

(Photos of Mindanao Organic Rice courtesy of Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative.)