Rice: is there really a shortage ? Lumads also affected by increase in price of rice

Indigenous people or lumads who plant upland rice are also affected by the increasing price of rice and are experiencing difficulty in accessing rice sold in the Bigasan ng Bayan.

Datu Luis A. Lambac of Ladian, Marahan, Marilog District of Davao City said that although they are into upland rice farming they still have to buy rice the moment they run out of supply.

Lambac however had doubts on the shortage of rice as there could be rice hoarding so the price would go up when there is less supply.

When they run short of supply they also buy in the poblacion with price of rice which is higher than before.

The lumads plant rice to about a thousand hectares where an estimated yield per hectare is about 50 cavans and the produce are sold to traders where farm gate price is at P7 but when brought down to the center the buying price is P10 per kilo.

Out of the rice they produce, they set aside five sacks for the seeds which they plant in the next cropping.

The seeds are keep in storage they call in their dialect as Langkap made of bamboo or Liwit, made from trunk of a tree. The rice storage is specially designed so moisture could not set in and by the time it is planted still has maintain its quality.

The lumads however have alternative food when rice is not available because they subsist on Ubod sa Uway, the inner core of the rattan tree or Ubod Patiban or Bahi (a family of rattan).

Lambac said they only save enough after harvesting which is done once a year between August to September.

Following their culture and tradition of planting based on the position of the moon and star Lambac said they start planting between February to April.

Before planting they follow a ritual where they offer all their farm implements like bolo, scythe and others and place them in a winnower put some cooked rice and sprinkle it with the blood of the chicken which they use as sacrifice for a good harvest.

Accompanying the ritual is their prayer of a good harvest that no disaster would come and be spared from attack of insects.

Planting is done through lusong or bayanihan (community effort) where they plant a hectare for a day involving 50 farmers. “This is our way of planting and all of us will participate in the planting of rice in the farms of our fellow lumad,” he said.

They are still into barter trading where 20 sacks is equivalent to one carabao, a horse for ten sacks, 50 kilos pig, five sacks, small pig, 3 sacks, and 10 chicken for one sack of rice.

Lambac also said they intercrop their rice fields with corn where they could harvest three times in a year. And after harvesting the rice they continue to plant corn and other crops like peanuts.