There is no harm in eating weevil-infested rice that’s properly washed and cooked, a scientist said Wednesday, but people should watch out for the growth of molds in their rice stock.
If mold or “amag” is present in any rice stock, it means a severe infestation of weevils or “bukbok,” which could endanger human health, weed science expert Dr. Pio Javier told UNTV News.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III agreed with the scientist even as he urged the Bureau of Quarantine to strictly monitor agricultural products being shipped into the country, as foreign insect species that travel through these shipments could endanger the country’s agriculture sector.
This developed as the National Food Authority Council approved the additional importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice to augment the current NFA stocks—which have been struck by weevils, forcing the agency to fumigate thousands of bags laying idle in various ports in the country.
The council, as the rice agency’s policymaking body, instructed the NFA to hold an open tender immediately to import the additional rice stocks, which would arrive in November.
The shipment can increase NFA’s active participation in the market by as much as 20 percent, the agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Bam Aquino met poor Zamboanga City residents reeling under a rice shortage to hear from them the effects of the crisis on their livelihood and daily sustenance.
Robredo and Aquino held a town hall dialogue dubbed “Kumustahang Bayan” to listen to the woes of urban poor communities and market vendors bearing the brunt of the rice crisis at the Zamboanga City old public market.
Weevil-infested rice has put the NFA and even Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol on the defensive recently, as around 300,000 sacks of rice remain unloaded on ships docked here owing to consecutive days of heavy monsoon rains in August.
The agency has been forced to fumigate these rice stocks, which would take seven to 12 days before they can be unloaded and eventually sold to rice dealers and the public.
Piñol sought to prove these stocks are safe to consume when he ate weevil-infested rice on national television.
Weevils come in a variety of species, Javier said, with the most common, the saw-toothed beetle, living up to three years. This species can survive high temperatures and produce 300 to 500 eggs at a time, he added.
Fumigants to kill these insects don’t leave residue on the grains, added the scientist, an Adjunct Research Professor at the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.
“Isn’t it that in exotic restaurants, even worms are eaten? So don’t worry if there are insects in our rice,” added Javier, who noted that weevils also attack corn and flour stocks.
He recommended a thorough cleaning of the storage area before putting rice stocks in them to prevent the growth of weevils and other insects.
Duque said unless the rice stock is “massively infected” with weevils, there is no danger in eating the staple, as long as it’s boiled and cooked properly.
“If you’re talking about industrial volumes [of rice], then you fumigate,” the health secretary added.
NFA Rice is being sold at P32 per kilo, which is more affordable than the commercial rice sold at prices ranging from P50 to 70 per kilo. Residents are only allowed to purchase a maximum of five kilos of NFA rice per day.