Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to promote kamote or sweet potato as an alternative to rice.
“It is high time that the DA extensively promotes sweet potato as an alternative. One way of doing this is to increase production and make the necessary investment in root crops in terms of agricultural research, food technology, or marketing,” Garin said in a statement.
“The nutritious content of rice cannot compare to that of kamote since rice transforms into sugar in the body, making one susceptible to diabetes, while kamote is high in fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer,” she added.
Garin released the statement after farmer groups have warned of a possible shortage of rice supply in next year amid the decline in palay output due to the high cost of agricultural inputs.
DA should “increase production and make the necessary investment in root crops — in terms of agricultural research, food technology, or marketing,” she said.
Garin also proposed incentives to food establishments serving sweet potatoes.
“Our love for rice has given birth to the famous ‘extra rice’ and ‘unli rice’ cultures. Unlike the popular expression ‘rice is life,’ we encourage restaurants to try using kamote in place of rice and even as French fries. What we need today are innovations in the kitchen,” Garin said.
“It’s high time we changed our attitude towards both rice and root crops. Kamote can bring back health and keep some health problems at bay. As medical studies have shown, kamote lowers hypertension, bad cholesterol, and even blood sugar when taken as a substitute for rice,” she added
Garin, however, clarified that she is not calling on the public to stop consuming rice.
“I am not promoting to abandon rice completely but to include root crops as part of one’s diet as root crops are beneficial to overall nutrition,” she said.IMT
