By
Mary May A. Abellon
DIPOLOG CITY - Maybe you are one of those persons who fancied about posh jewelry and
other fabulous ornaments. And it might be adlai
or “katigbi” or better known as “job’s tears” that were used as beads in
one of your fancy accessories.
However, the most
interesting and revealing part of it is the fact that it can be eaten as staple
food.
Just recently, the
Department of Agriculture (DA) conducted a forum with the local media in the
city and representatives from other agencies to promote public awareness on
responsible rice consumption, in conjunction with the “National Year of Rice”
celebration pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 494 issued by President
Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.
As the government is
looking for alternatives and strategies to meet the rice self-sufficiency in
the country, it is DA’s great breakthrough with its promotion of Adlai as one
of the answers to addressing the issue on food security by being food
self-sufficient.
“Adlai is a protein-rich
and less calories crop that serves as an alternative staple food,” said Melba
Wee, regional information officer of DA-IX.
Nature
and Origin
Coix
lacryma-jobi L. is the
scientific name of adlai which belongs to the Poaceae grass family where crops
like rice, corn and wheat belong. It is a freely branching upright plant that grows as tall
as three feet that propagates through seeds. It is also called
as Job’s tears because of its tear-shape grains.
It
is cultivated as a cereal crop in tropics and subtropics, like in India, China,
South Korea, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
To
date, there are four known local varieties of adlai namely: the gulian (white),
pulot or tapol (red or purple), ginampay (brown) and linay (gold).
But the two main species are: the wild
type Coix lacryma-jobi var. stenocarpa and var. monilifer
with hard shelled pseudocarps which are very hard, pearly white, oval
structures used as beads, and the cultivated type Coix lacryma-jobi var.
ma-yuen with soft shell features which people eat as staple and use as
medicine.
The origin of adlai is unknown, but it is native
to southern and eastern Asia. Interestingly, the Subanen Tribe
has known this crop since time immemorial. Citing an example is the thriving
town of Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur where there’s a massive cultivation of
adlai.
Adlai
has high production in the highlands and it even tolerates low pH. It can be
grown even in barren lands. The crop grows well in sloping areas, tolerates
water logging, and it is pest-resistant.
The
super crop
Subanens
plant adlai in kaingin areas or mountainous parts of the town. Of 33 barangays
in Midsalip, 19 are growing and nurturing adlai.
Imagine
how adlai became part of the Subanen culture from the time their ancestors got
in love with this crop. It became their traditional source of food and a symbol
of their customs.
One
of the striking characteristics of adlai is its ability to be ratooned three to
five times after the main harvest, making it preferable to plant. It is
resilient to flood and drought, tolerant to pests and diseases, and grown
organically. Though very conventional, growing it is economical,
environment-friendly, and sustainable.
The
fun is when it is cooked and served in plates. You may find its taste different
compared to rice and corn. But for health and nutrition, adlai is more
nutritious than rice and corn, for it is high in protein and also contains
calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. It is
good for diabetics.
If
you want it to be tastier, you may try cooking it with sugar coating. You can
also make it into porridge or cakes, or, try your own recipe using adlai.
Adlai
grains are also being processed by the subanens into wine called “Pangasi,” a
symbol of their rich and unique culture. This is offered to the ”datu” or “timuay”
or their traditional leaders during buklog (Subanen festival) and other special
occasions including weddings and funerals.
Aside
from making it as food and wine, it could also be processed into flour, tea,
coffee, beer and vinegar.
Reports
have it that the early ancestors of Subanens lived up to 150 years old for eating
only adlai porridge which were grown organically. They believed that adlai
contains medicines that could cure their illnesses, thereby giving them long
life.
Nothing
compares with the health benefits of adlai. According to DA it could be an
alternative remedy for tumor, appendicitis, arthritis, beriberi, bronchitis,
diabetes, dysentery, fever, headache and many other ailments.
Addressing
food security
Rice
is the primary staple of the country yet we are not rice self-sufficient, as
Filipinos are eating too much rice and, at the same time, we are wasting too
much rice.
“Besides,
we are eating more rice than any other food groups instead of eating only
one-fourth part of our meal plate,” Wee pointed out.
“There’s
rice wastage in harvesting, cooking and in consumption,” said Wee, adding “we
produce more babies than food.
Every
Filipino wastes about two tablespoons of cooked rice daily which is equivalent
to P6.2 billion or the consumption of 2.6 million Filipinos a year that could
already feed thousands of hungry mouths.
“Food
security remains a global challenge. It is very ironic that the
international community recognized Filipinos from International Rice Research
Institute, PhilRice, University of Philippines in Los Baños, and Central Luzon
State University as experts in teaching agriculture but we import rice from
those countries we taught,” the DA people explained.
These
are the reasons why President Aquino through the Da is devising ways to address
food security in the country.
DA
people have formulated and initiated programs to attain the goal of PNoy that
we will have a sustainable rice production and that the country is the one
exporting rice and not the reverse of it.
DA
has promoted a new version of the KKK, which stands for “Kunti-kunting kain
muna, Kakaibang carb naman, kumain din ng brown rice.” It also encourages the
public to eat other alternative staple crops like potatoes, camote, corn,
banana, gabi and adlai.
The Bureau of Agricultural
Research (BAR), on the other hand, together with DA-Regional Field Units
(RFUs), and other partner agencies like Earthkeepers and the Magsasaka
at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) is now developing
adlai as an alternative staple crop in line with DA's Philippine Food Staples
Self-Sufficiency Roadmap (FSSR).
Location-specific
technology development of the crop is being implemented in areas identified
with potential for commercial production like in Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur
where vast areas were planted with adlai to produce seeds and distribute it
throughout the country.
According to Dr. Chito P.
Medina, national coordinator of MASIPAG, “we should not depend only on rice and
corn. Rice and corn may be infested and attacked by diseases, and these may not
adapt well to the changing climate thus leading to another cereal crisis. Now,
we have adlai to turn to.
"Adlai
can be one of the answers to addressing the issue on food
security and attaining the goal of being food self-sufficient," said BAR
director Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar.
(PIA9)
