The province of Negros Oriental, endowed with a healthy agricultural climate, is haven to skillful and hardworking farmers. And one of the primary agriculture is rice. It was interesting to see how much work there is before even planting the rice. I know that is a lot of work because we also have rice field. I used to help my dad in planting rice. Yes, planting. The rice seedlings are pre-grown in a nursery bed where they were broad casted by hand and are pulled and transplanted into puddled and leveled fields 15 to 40 days after seeding. In planting, you have to put the right amount of seedlings according to certain spacing distances at the right depth in the soil. Generally, the ideal harvest time lies between 130 and 136 days after sowing the grain heads are mature and ready to be harvested. Do you realize now how much effort are put forth?
I'm glad I can share this with you. This is when I visited my mother's hometown. Let's have a close up look!
Rice is harvested manually or with a mechanical harvester. But manual harvesting and threshing method was higher than conventional combine harvester sadly bacause due to the lack of financial budget then only few can afford.
Harvesting processes
Reaping
Cutting the mature panicles and straw above ground usually with a curved knife.This is my favorite part, because I can evalaute how fast I am moving in cutting the rice straw, kind of skill tests.Hauling is that thing I dislike so my brother had to back-up and finish the task.
Hauling
Moving the cut crop to the threshing location.I have done this before I had to wear lonsleeve to protect my skin from touching against the rice straw, rice straw is itchy but one thing was certain that I have gotten used to it after a while, I was like my father's right hand during the time. I hate this part, the rice is heavy and need to look at where you set your foot when walking,and it was not easy to walk in a very small pathways. As I looked back, sometimes I realized how amazing that was.
Threshing
Is a process wherein the paddy grain is separated from the rest of cut crop.The common method for manual threshing is hand beating using an object like baseball bat against the rice head or is called paddy, treading, or by holding the crop against a rotating drum with spikes or rasp bars which is what exactly this farmer was doing. Hand beating methods are normally used for threshing rice that easily shatters. I'm an expert to this,in fact I still would want when I got a chance. It's damn tedious but fun!
He's tired for sure. I wanted to take over but he didn't give me a chance.
Cleaning
In separating the grain from immature, unfilled, non-grain materials(dirt) she use bilao.
Bilao is a flat sifter basket with the right amount of grains slowly pouring opposite the direction of the wind , dirt are easily blown by the wind because it's lighter than the grains of rice. This method is repeatedly done until most grains are clean.
After threshed, paddy were spread thinly for sun dry right away,normally it would take 2-3 days for it to dried up, depending on how much longer it is exposed under the sun.
It is common so see large parts of streets full of these sheets with rice and people driving scooters have to be careful not to drive over the rice. When it is dry, the rice will be taken to a milling machine which is used to take the husk off the rice.
Whew! What a long process before you would be able enjoy a cup of rice.
Salute to our Famers for the noblest profession, without them the world will go hungry!
Are you a rice eater? Definitely I am whenever I do heavy workout, espcially after cycling or hiking.