Rare Rice, Art Honored as National Treasures

Los Baños (PNA) — In a special gathering tonight at the National Museum of the Philippines, two large paintings by National Artist Vicente Manansala will be elevated from Important Cultural Properties of the Philippines to National Cultural Treasures—the first Manansalas to gain such status.

Since 1962 and until recently, these paintings that had been on the walls of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna will be unveiled at the museum’s new IRRI hall.

In this evening’s event, Treasures in Art and Rice, the IRRI Manansalas and several types of heirloom rice from the mountainous Cordilleras of northern Philippines will be featured alongside each other—the paintings’ unveiling at the museum and heirloom rice as tasty dishes whipped up by five world-class chefs.

Philippine heirloom rice varieties are being studied and promoted through the Heirloom Rice Project, a joint initiative of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and IRRI.

As traditional varieties handed down through generations of a clan or village, these unique crops have high nutritional properties, are in limited supply due to longer growing periods, and are more expensive than more widely cultivated rice, especially in specialty niche markets in the Philippines and abroad.

Under the project, heirloom rice varieties are characterized, classified, and studied for their properties and genealogy. Cultivation practices for each variety are also being documented, which allows scientists to work with farmers to optimize these practices for desired yield and grain quality.

Because of its special eating qualities and novelty, heirloom rice is seeing increasing demand in the global market. The project team is thus also working with entrepreneurs to find demand matches for heirloom varieties that particular regions, villages, or farming households produce.

The paintings, by National Artist Vicente S. Manansala, were commissioned by IRRI soon after its founding in 1960.

Philippine heirloom rice varieties were featured at the Madrid Fusión Manila in April. (PNA) FPV/RCK/ZAT/IRRI-PR/PJN