BAGUIO CITY – Filipinos are big “rice wasters.”
The National Food Authority (NFA) said at least 25,000 sacks of rice amounting to about P22 million are wasted daily.
Studies by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) showed that every Filipino wastes 14 grams or one spoon of rice everyday.
At that rate, 88 million Filipinos would throw away 1.232 trillion grams or 1.2 million tons of the staple.
At the launching of the Department of Agriculture–NFA Rice Conservation Program in Bontoc, Mountain Province, Celedonia Mendoza of the NFA-Mountain Province said that at the rate Filipinos waste rice, conserving the staple food would be an important step in reducing the government’s rice importation from 1.87 metric tons to 1.17 metric tons.
Mendoza explained that based on studies by the BAS and the FNRI, the wasted rice, if conserved, would feed about 3.4 million people and save them from going hungry.
“This would minimize government rice importation and partly solve hunger prevailing in some parts of the country,” said Mendoza.
She added that because of this, the government has launched a rice conservation program and a nationwide advocacy campaign to teach Filipinos the value of conserving rice.
In Mountain Province, the NFA contributes 700 sacks of rice everyday or 50 percent of the province’s daily consumption by directly distributing it to school children through the Food for School Program of the Department of Education.
Mountain Province, a highly deficient area in terms of rice, depends on NFA for half of its rice demand of 1,440 sacks daily, Mendoza said.
The NFA official cited the need to make everyone conserve rice as the population grows and rice production remains the same.
“Every rice consumer should conserve rice, starting from buying, storing, cooking, and eating,” Mendoza said.
She advised Filipinos to refrain from using the vital food as animal fodder.
She also urged consumers to use brown rice as it is more nutritious and has higher amount of fiber that fights certain diseases. – Artemio Dumlao, Philippine Star
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