Shi to brown variety aids in addressing rice self su ciency

Filipino consumers can help the country finally achieve its long-standing goal of rice selfsufficiency.

One way is by choosing to consume brown rice over the widely popular white rice.

As a major staple food among locals, rice comprises up to 36 percent of average daily food intake of individuals, data from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed.

Across the country, white rice remains the more popular type, mainly because of its palatability, longer shelf life, and faster cooking time. By shifting to brown rice, consumers are not only choosing the option with higher nutrition value, they are also helping control the volatile demand for rice as well.

Few people are aware that brown rice also comes from the same rice harvest that yields white rice. It undergoes very minimal milling, hence the color and the thickness of its grains.

Brown rice entails greater milling recovery and less wastage.

According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), up to 7.5 kilograms of brown rice can be recovered from 10 kg of rice paddy.

In comparison, just 6.5 kg of white rice can be recovered from the same volume of rice paddy.

As brown rice is produced in just one milling, it requires less energy to produce it compared to white rice production that undergoes several milling processes. This can translate to up to 65 percent less power consumption for polishing rice compared to white rice production.

The lower cost of milling and polishing brown rice can already help save a huge amount if accounted for in massive production.

Grain milling recovery can be as high as 10 percent while the simple dehusking process reduces the requirement for production by more than half.

Brown rice grains weigh heavier. This is the reason why consumers tend to eat less serving of brown rice though they still get the feeling of being full.

Apart from this, brown rice brings more nutrients like good fats, fiber, protein, vitamins B and E, and other minerals contained in the bran layer, which is removed by extensive milling in white rice production.

With these factors and with the use of hybrid rice varieties in farming like the popular US-88 from SeedWorks Philippines, it would logically be easier for the country to finally attain rice self-sufficiency and be healthy in no time.

US-88 rice variety brings greater yields with premium soft grain ideal to be used for brown rice.