Why does upland rice grown on rubber hills in Binh Phuoc produce delicious, flavorful rice that many people want to buy?

Since ancient times, the Stieng and Khmer people in Binh Phuoc have had a tradition of growing upland rice. For them, upland rice is not simply a food crop to sustain life but also contains a cultural beauty that needs to be preserved.

Taking advantage of the area of ​​rubber trees that have not yet closed their canopy on the farms, many ethnic minority households have rented land to grow upland rice.

In early December, taking advantage of favorable weather, from early morning, Ms. Nang Xuan Lu Hiep, residing in Binh Giai village, Phuoc Minh commune, Bu Gia Map district, and the villagers went to the fields to harvest rice.

In just one day, the 2 hectares of upland rice that she rented from Phuoc Binh Farm, Phu Rieng Rubber One Member Co., Ltd. to grow, were almost harvested.

Ms. Hiep said that this year the weather was not favorable but the rice yield was still quite good. She and the people growing upland rice were very excited, expecting to harvest nearly 4 tons this crop.

“Upland rice is not difficult to grow and easy to care for. You only need to weed, and you don’t need to fertilize or spray pesticides. Upland rice cooks well, doesn’t get moldy when stored for a long time, and makes you feel full longer than buying rice from the market,” said Ms. Hiep.

Upland rice is cultivated once a year, starting from the first rains until the dry season when the rice ripens. From sowing to harvesting, people only have to work on weeding, the plants grow and nourish themselves according to the natural laws. After 5 months of planting, if the weather is favorable, the plants will flower, forming large and firm rice grains. When the rice is ripe, the grains are yellow and heavy with flowers, people go to the fields to harvest.

Nowadays, with the support of machinery, the S'tieng and Khmer people in Binh Phuoc only need to pack the rice, bring it home to dry, store and eat gradually.

This season, Ms. Thi Hanh's family in Binh Giai village planted 3 hectares of upland rice. Ms. Hanh said that upland rice can only be grown once a year, and if they want to grow the next crop, they have to rent new land.

The process of growing upland rice is very simple. At the beginning of the season, people choose a gentle hill or rent land from young rubber plantations that have not yet closed their canopy to grow upland rice. When it rains, the soil becomes softer and looser, and people sow selected rice seeds into the soil.

There is no need to plow like in wet rice cultivation, just one person in front digs a hole, the next person puts the rice seeds in and then covers the soil. Upland rice cultivation has been around since ancient times, grandparents passed down seeds for planting. Everyone in the village knows how to grow upland rice since childhood.

Depending on the weather, some years have good harvests and some years have bad harvests. During the 5 months when rice grows, people work for hire, grow cashews, rubber, and pepper to earn extra income, so people's lives have improved in recent years.

“Traders currently buy upland rice for 12,000 VND/kg, but we don’t sell it. This rice is only grown for eating. If anyone in the village or hamlet is having difficulties, we will give them some,” Ms. Hanh shared.

It is harvest season, the rice is ripe and golden all over the rubber hills. Villagers exchange labor to harvest the rice, so the harvest goes very quickly. After harvest, the rice plants decompose to become fertilizer for the rubber trees. After harvesting, there is a threshing machine on site, when the rice is dry, the villagers choose the big, round grains to save as seeds for the next crop.

Mr. Dieu O in Binh Giai village, who is in charge of threshing rice for the villagers in the form of labor exchange, said that rice farming is now much easier than before because of the support of machines.

When milled into rice, the grains are separate and have a sweet, nutty taste. Nowadays, many people from all over the place come to buy upland rice because it is grown completely naturally and organically, without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, and has high nutritional content. Therefore, although the yield is lower, the price of upland rice is higher than that of rice.

Upland rice is an important food for ethnic minorities in communes that do not have conditions for wet rice cultivation. Rice grains are crystallized from the quintessence of heaven and earth, not only bringing prosperity but also an inseparable cultural feature of the people. And the upland rice harvest season is considered the happiest occasion of the year.

Source: https://danviet.vn/vi-sao-lua-ray-trong-tren-doi-cao-su-o-binh-phuoc-lam-ra-gao-ngon-dam-vi-khoi-nguoi-muon-mua-20241215212149682.htm