THE PHILIPPINES’ “Mabango 3” rice variety, known commercially as Dinorado, won silver in the World’s Best Rice 2025 Awards held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
“Nagwagi ang ‘mabango’ hindi lang dahil sa kanyang mala-beauty queen na itsura, kundi pati na rin sa kanyang lasa at aroma,” Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said in a press conference on Wednesday, December 3.
He added: “It’s basically very white, long, and slender. Sexy yung rice.”
Thirty rice varieties competed in the awards, where rice varieties from Cambodia and Vietnam won gold in a tie. Mabango 3 was developed by breeders at the Philippine Rice Research Institute.
Tiu Laurel said the award was a fitting tribute to the country’s scientists who continue to develop rice varieties for the country’s food security.
“Isang patunay ito sa talino, sipag, at diskarte na hindi magpapahuli ang Filipino,” Tiu Laurel added.
The DA chief said he is optimistic that the Philippines will be able to bag the gold in the next few years. However, he admitted it will take time, around three to four harvest seasons, before the Mabango 3 variety can have enough supply in the market.
“Kailangan muna tanggapin ng ating mga farmers ang variety na ito,” he ended.
Meanwhile, the DA has rolled out the government’s P20 per kilo rice program in Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte. This means the cheaper rice will now be available in Dapitan, Dipolog, and 25 municipalities in Zamboanga del Norte.
Among the priority beneficiaries of the program are the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, farmers, fisherfolk, minimum wage earners, and transport workers.
Tiu Laurel said the P20 per kilo rice is now available in 424 locations nationwide. In late October, the DA said approximately 15 million households, or about 60 million Filipinos, are benefiting from the subsidized rice initiative. (ABS-CBN News)
