It's December, and once again, a rare harvest is celebrated in the small town of Sta. Rita. The cool December air signals the start of the annual Duman season. The rich rice fields of Pampanga normally yields a bountiful harvest of regular white rice at least three times a year. But the rare green rice often called "green gold", can only be harvested in December, and in such limited quantities.
A farmer can usually harvest around 300 cavans or sacks of the regular white rice for every hectare, but only around 4 cavans of duman, an extremely low yield. This limited annual harvest adds to the mystique of Duman, driving up its price to as high as thirty to forty times the price per kilo of regular rice. The rarity of this unique green rice makes it a much sought after delicacy, and for those in the know, sourcing such a rare product is almost as tedious as producing duman.
