The Zaragoza People’s Agriculture Cooperative (ZPAgCo) in Nueva Ecija, a member of the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) network, secured direct deal to supply NSIC Rc31SR (Malagkit 6) rice to Betty’s Native Cakes in Tarlac, which specializes in Filipino sweets and pastries made from glutinous rice.
The deal is a significant step towards RiceBIS network’s goal to expand ZPAgCo’s market with business partnership. Their product, Rc31SR is personally harvested by the Coop farmers, attracting buyers with its aroma, long grains, and sticky yet soft texture when cooked.
Not only that, it can last for two to three days after cooking, making it ideal for businesses like Betty’s.
“We project that by the end of September, we will deliver about 10 tons of freshly harvested and milled Malagkit rice to Betty’s,” Vic P. Octavino, chairperson of ZPagCo, disclosed.
Earlier this year, the Coop sold a total of 11t worth P585,000 to the restaurant.
“Betty’s used to source imported glutinous rice, but PhilRice’s RiceBIS staffers connected us with them. They requested a 1kg sample from us, tested it, and it passed their standards,” Octaviano told us.
ZPagCo and Betty’s are contemplating a Memorandum of Understanding that will fortify their business partnership. They anticipate that the Coop will be able to deliver 100t of glutinous rice by the end of the dry season in 2026.
“Although we’ve only been with RiceBIS for a short time, their support has been invaluable,” Octaviano enunciated. “We’re now confident in selling our products at fair prices. Beyond helping us avoid unfair traders and increasing our cooperative’s income, their support directly benefits farmers. Last season, we bought their fresh palay harvest at P20/kg, as against traders’ price of P15-16.”
