Kalinga records 179 heirloom rice varieties, the highest in Cordillera

Baguio City, Philippines – Among the four heirloom rice producers in the region, the Province of Kalinga cultivates the most number of indigenous rice in the Cordillera.

Heirloom rice is mostly grown in the Cordillera region particularly in Kalinga, Ifugao, Benguet, and Mt. Province.

It is indigenous rice variety that has been propagated and handed down by the Cordilleran ancestors to their descendants through generations.

What make these grains stand out are its quality, aroma, texture, color, taste, and high nutritional value.

According to the Department of Agriculture Cordillera, there is a total of 870 heirloom rice identified. Of the figure, 622 still existed while 248 were already extinct or no longer grown.

One hundred seventy-nine of these heirloom rice varieties are found in Kalinga particularly in the municipalities of Balbalan, Tanudan and Lubuagan.

To prevent extinction of the remaining existing varities, the DA-Cordillera has supported the revitalization and preservation of the heirloom rice industry in the Cordillera.

It is not only to maintain its generic traits but also to promote and sustain Cordillera’s traditional rice farming, stated by the Agriculture Sub-Sectoral Committee involved.

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