CLARK, Pampanga — Delegates to the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings took time to visit and view the Journey of Rice exhibition at the Clark Museum here on Friday.
Dr. Diadem B. Gonzales-Esmero, Rice Science Museum curator, said the exhibit was presented to the members of the National Organizing Committee and ambassadors including Sung Y. Kim, US ambassador to the Philippines.
Developed and installed as a special section at Clark Museum’s Gallery 2 by PhilRice’s Rice Science Museum, the rice exhibit represents the Kapampangan farmers’ persistence in sustaining the province’s rice supply and preserving their farming heritage.
“Through centuries, Pampanga is a rice self-sufficient province. In this exhibit, the province encourages the public to cultivate favorable attitudes towards rice by immersing the viewers in the development of rice, traditional rice varieties, and the attitude of being RICEponsible,” Esmero said.
Through the exhibit, the public is informed on the four-month growth period of rice from seed to plate through an animation series.
“For the public to appreciate more the value of rice, we showed the stages of rice from germination to ripening phase, and its anatomy. Based on feedback, this topic is relevant as some Filipinos are not familiar with its appearance,” she said.
Displays also include the traditional varieties such as Antipolo, Binakayo, Binundok, Kinampanya, and Sinimberga, which the Kapampangan farmers passed down through generations. Mostly grown in the upland, the varieties mature in 98 days after sowing.
“These traditional rice varieties are priceless and their conservation is needed because their genes can serve as foundation in the development of new, better varieties,” Esmero said.
In celebration of November as National Rice Awareness Month, the Journey of Rice is completed with a call on the proper way of eating rice: not wasting a single grain and eating its healthy form such as brown rice and rice mixes.
The Philippine Foundation for Rice Research and Industry based in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija co-sponsored the exhibition. (PNA)