Organic Black Rice from SOCCSKSARGEN Now Sold in the US

Koronadal City, South Cotabato(PIA) — Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in M’lang North Cotabato has broken into the US market with its famed organic black rice, an official of the co-op announced.

“Don Bosco MPC will be sending 2 tons of organic black rice to Los Angeles, California in first or second week of February,” said Romano Laurilla, general manager of Don Bosco MPC in an interview with Philippine Information Agency.

The shipment in February, he added, will comprise the second batch of black rice exported to the US. The maiden delivery of 1 ton was made in November.

Parceled in 1-pound and 5-pound packages, Don Bosco’s black rice are placed in specially designed box in accordance with their partner’s efforts to sell the organic cereal as a premium product, he said.

According to Laurilla, the opportunity to export organic black rice — and possibly, also red and brown rice — came after he met Justin Garrido, a social entrepreneur and co-founder of the SocialProject.PH, a US-registered non-profit organization whose mission is to “grow, develop, and support social entrepreneurship as a sustainable means to poverty alleviation and nation building.”

“Justin Garrido, who was a managing director of a chain of stores in the US came to the Philippines to look for local products that could be promoted in the United States. He got interested in our organically produced rice.

“Our meeting here last year led to setting of a marketing plan and conceptualization the packaging of the product so that it will be presented as a premium product,” the co-op chief recounted.

In the US, Don Bosco’s black rice is distributed under the brand Social Products, described as “an organic line of black and red rice from the Philippines grown by small co-op farmers in Mindanao, Philippines.”

On its website, Social Products highlighted the fact that the product is grown through biodynamic farming.

“Our organic rice products are bio-dynamically grown, a deeper and more holistic way of organic farming that looks at not just the land, but also the animal’s well-being and the farmer’s prosperity. In the self-sustained farm, a pond is used to filter the water, land is set aside for reforestation, and the rice fields are sprayed with milk and honey, in lieu of fertilizers. Each farm thus has its own unique character and qualities. This holistic care for Mother Earth produces food with extraordinary flavor and nutrition,” it says.

“Justin Garrido has opened a very bright prospect for Don Bosco MPC and local rice growers. Several restaurants in Los Angeles are already waiting for our products. If this continues, our organic rice could also be marketed in other parts of the US.,” GM Laurilla said.

“This is a welcome development especially for our farmers. If our market in the US continues to expand this will definitely mean economic development for our farmers,” he emphasized.

Apart from the black rice, the shipment to Los Angeles in February will include a one-ton sample shipment of Ube (purple yam) powder, consolidated by the co-op mostly from farmers in Davao del Sur.

Black rice, is also called “Forbidden Rice” or “Emperor’s Rice” because in ancient China, this nutty rice was only reserved for Emperors.

It is loaded with antioxidants, Vitamin E, fiber, and valuable anti-inflammatory properties. Its anti-oxidant contents exceed that of grapes, blueberries, and even acai.

Don Bosco MPC’s organic black, red and brown rice are grown nearly 500 farming families in M’lang, Tulunan, Midsayap and President Roxas in North Cotabato and Surallah in South Cotabato.

Don Bosco MPC’s organic rice line has already reached markets in Dubai, Hong Kong, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Don Bosco MPC has certification from the Organic Certifying Center of the Philippines. It is the first co-op in the Philippines to receive international certification from Certification of Environmental Standards (Ceres), a European-based certifying body. It has also been certified by the National Organic program of the US Department of Agriculture. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12)