Home | To bottom

Kamote: poor man’s staple food

BAGUIO CITY ( Sept. 12) — Is it truly the food of the masses? In the Cordillera and its adjacent provinces kamote is the staple food of most villages especially those far from the centers. It is the only reliable crop in times of drought, typhoons and especially in times of crisis.

Kamote (Ipomea batatas) is a substitute food for rice and corn especially for families living below the poverty line. This crop does not require intensive care since it thrives on the ground and can survive in poor soil. It contains all kinds of essential amino acids to supplement other plant proteins.

In an interview, Elleo Docio, 56, farmer, Boundary, Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, said that kamote is their staple food in the mountain, especially because they are far from the market. This has been their food since he was a child.

“Gapu iti kamote nabiag ko ken napag-adal ko dagiti putot ko, isunga saan a basta-basta ti kamote ta dakkel la unay ti naitulong na dayta kadakami a marigrigat. Mabalinmi nga ipalastog ditoy nga adu ti nakaadal nga ubbing gapu iti kamote laeng Adda ti maestro, abugado, inhenyero, pulis ken dadduma pay,” (Because of kamote I was able to raise and send my children to school, that’s why kamote is very important especially to us poor. We are proud to say that because of kamote many of our children finished their studies, we have teachers, engineers, police, lawyers and others).

Docio said that most of them are gardeners, who also plant vegetables but mostly for consumption. Their products are mostly kamote and banana, and they use carabao-drawn cart to bring products to the market, which is more than two hours walk.

“My wife and my children help each other to sell kamote in the town center, which we boil, fry or bake to sustain the schooling of our children,” he declared.

Actually, Docio’s buyers are from the lowlands – from Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Pampanga, and Isabela - and Baguio City. Most of them get 5 to 6 sacks at P180- P200 per sack and P6 to P8 per kilo. They are able to sell 25-28 sacks in two days with a corresponding amount of P4,500 – P5,300. But this is not enough for their daily needs, and for children who are studying, Docio added.

Meanwhile, according to Ms. Fermina Odsi, 27, teacher, Kalanguya, from Nueva Vizcaya, “I’m not ashamed to say that since I was a child until I graduated as a teacher, kamote was and still is my staple food and I seldom eat rice. There was no budget to buy rice with and my parents relied only in selling kamote in the town centers so they were hard up in sending my allowance”.

Odsi recalls, “Studying in Baguio City was not easy for us. You had to buy all that you needed, but for me, material things were not so important. I only had a pair of shoes, four T-shirts, and two pairs of pants until I graduated. Many of my board mates helped me, offering food and clothing because they observed that I was always eating kamote and walking to school morning and afternoon”.

“Gapu ta kayat ko a makalpas iti eskuwela, inanosak amin a rigat ti biag. Ti kamote ket importante la unay kanyak gaputa isu ti mangipalagip kaniak ti napalabas ken kasano ngay ngata ti biag dagiti napopobre no awan daytoy. (Because of my strong determination to finish my studies, I tried to overcome those difficulties in life. Kamote is very important to me because it reminds me of the past, and I’m always thinking that, what will happen to poor people without kamote?), she added.

Kamote has three new variety, the VSP-1,VSP-2,and the VSP-3 which can be harvested within 105 to 115 days, while the traditional kamote takes from five to seven months before harvesting. This plant also is a source of Vitamine A, B, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Sodium that other plants do not have. Kamote also can be fermented into vinegar and wine and these is one reason why kamote production in the country increases and it becomes a valuable commodity, Ms. Odsi explained. # Johnny Fialen for NORDIS

Home | Back to top