Tourist-drawer Ifugao terraces seen to solve rice shortage

BANAUE , Ifugao – Abandoned Ifugao rice terraces will be resurrected to productive use to meet the nationwide rice shortage. Banaue Mayor Lino Madchiw admitted many parcels of lands in the rice terraces were abandoned and remained uncultivated by owners because of poor financial returns. He said these areas can be developed and planted with rice to help in supplying the rice needs of people in the community. “I urged my constituents especially the unemployed to cultivate the undeveloped lands in the rice terraces to supply the rice needs of the family," Madchiw added. A picture of local lensman Ramon Dacawi where people lined up to get a kilo of government subsidized rice with Banaue rice terraces as a background has ironically depicted a paradigm shift of rice terraces farming. Dacawi deplored that the “terraces seem to cater only to tourists and [businesses] while the people have to look for alternative livelihood to buy a kilo of cheap rice." Mayor Madchiw shared the sentiment of Dacawi admitting that many of his constituents are requesting for more government-subsidized rice supply. To address the clamor of the people, the Local Government Unit (LGU) and the National Food Authority (NFA-Ifugao) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) recently for 100 sacks of rice allocation per month aside from the regular supply of the municipality for the “Bigasang Bayan." Madchiw is hopeful that the grain agency will also establish more “Bigasang Bayan" to meet the rice needs of the people in this municipality. In Kiangan, Ifugao more farmers here who converted their rice terraces to vegetable gardens have returned to rice planting. The demand for high value crops prompted many farmers in 1990s to plant Baguio beans, cabbages, carrots and other crops. Farmers, however, plant newer rice varieties instead of the native “Ipugo" and “Tinawon," which will take long period of waiting and allowing only one cropping a year. - GMANews.TV