We just got this e-mail from Nixon Princesa, currently procurement assistant of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. He happened to read our column about Wilfredo Yap who shifted from rice to eating camore. Here, he goes.

“First let me tell you that I have been a fan of yours since a long time ago, from the ‘80s. Whenever I am home in the Philippines, I would grab copies of your Agriculture Magazine, even the old ones, and would read them two or three times. Outside, Iread and save articles written by you in the issue of Manila Bulletin.

“I think the Philippines need more journalists like you who would rather write on ways to alleviate people’s lives than any other trivial issues. You rightly deserve your Magsaysay award, maybe even more

“I have been an OFW for 19 years and have been to the Middle East, East Africa and now Southeast Asia (other than the Philippines) in all these years.

“In your subject article, you mentioned that Mr. Wilfredo Yap ‘believes that if only 10 percent of Filipinos would shift to camote, rice import will become unnecessary’.

“From what I have seen, I think Mr. Yap is correct. I was in East/Central Africa from 2006 to 2010, mostly in Burundi to be exact. I have visited Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda for short times during this period. The East Africans, indeed most of the rest of Africa, eat rice as their staple food.

But their staple food is not only rice. They rotate rice with bread, camote, potato, corn flour that they cook with water into ‘ugali’, banana (plantain), cassava starch (also into ugali) and past (nine starchy foods). They cook these saluted with vegetables, meat and fish or separately. And they have strong, sturdy bodies.

“I have tried and lived with the same diet for four years. In my fourth month I became used to the other eight staple food I would not even touch rice for three or four days. I did not become weak. On the contrary I felt I was stronger. When I left the continent I was a little more bulky than usual.

“It was just a case of having the wrong perception concerning rice of the absence of rice in my diet. I thought I would feel weak but this never happened. I even li9ked the variety of the food that I was consuming. And it was cheaper.

“In the Middle East, the West and in Europe, people rotate their staple food in the same manner. I think that Filipinos should be informed/educate about this to keep the Philippines off the list of rice importing countries.

“Thank you and here is wishing that you have more writing years in your future.’

Well, thank you Mr. Princesa. We have also started our own camote die, albeit only partly.
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AANI FARM TOUR. Those interested to join the AANI farm tour to the Platinum Island Farm in Tanay, Rizal next Saturday, August 14, should visit the AANI office at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City for reservation. Platinum Island is a certified organic farm.