QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- In line with the celebration of the 2023 National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM), the Department of Agriculture (DA) slated the “Be RICEponsible” campaign towards the sustainable promotion of responsible rice consumption.
“Kalakip ng pagkonsumo natin ng bawat butil ng kanin, marapat lamang na batid nating lahat ang halaga ng bigas at palay at ang komplikadong proseso ng produksyon nito. Ito po ang adbokasiya ng NRAM (Part of our consumption of each grain of rice is giving regard to its value and the complex process of rice production. This is the advocacy of the NRAM),” said DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.
“Ngayong buwan, kasabay ng pagpapabuti ng pamahalaan ng mga inisyatiba para matugunan ang supply at demand ng palay at bigas, makiisa tayo sa mga gawain para masiguro na walang masasayang sa mga pinagpaguran ng ating mga rice farmers (This month, alongside the national government’s initiative to improve the country’s response to issues on rice supply and demand, let us actively practice responsibility towards ensuring that the hard work of our rice farmers will not go to waste),” Panganiban underscored.
As per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the total rice stocks inventory of the country rose to 1.55 million metric tons from 1.45 million metric tons in September 2023.
The 6.6 percent growth has been regarded by the agriculture department as a testament to the effectiveness of the programs and policies that are being implemented to attain a state of rice self-sufficiency towards food security.
It can be recalled that the Marcos administration is primarily seeking to strengthen the productivity of the local food production sector so that the country can already deviate from its reliance on the importation of key agricultural commodities.
Meanwhile, DA Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian recognized the important role of local rice farmers in providing the basic needs of people.
“Binabati ko ang ating mga magigiting na magsasaka na patuloy na nagpupursiging mapataas ang kanilang ani nang masigurong mas maraming Pilipino ang makakakain ng masarap, ligtas, at abot-kayang bigas (I commend our dedicated farmers who continuously strive towards improving the rice production to ensure that more Filipinos can access delicious, safe, and affordable rice),” said Undersecretary Sebastian.
The “Be RICEponsible” campaign anchors the promotion of the “A-B-K-D” movement which directly translates to the following responsible rice consumption practices:
- A - Adlay, mais, saba, atbp. ay ihalo sa kanin (Mix rice with other food staples)
- B - Brown rice at kainin (Eat brown rice or unpolished rice)
- K - Kanin ay huwag sayangin (Prevent rice wastage)
- D - Dapat bigas ng Pilipinas ang bilhin (Patronize locally-produced rice)
In addition, the DA Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) launched a series of competitions aimed at engaging more Filipinos in the promotion of the “Be RICEponsible” campaign. These are the Pinasarap na Kanin Cooking Contest, Brown Rice Challenge, No Waste Video Contest, and the “Be RICEponsible Buyer Challenge.”
The DA also prepared a total of 16 booths for the 1st Cashless Expo that is co-organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the GoDigitalPilipinas Movement (GDP) Inc. to support the business ventures of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The said booths will feature local agricultural products, particularly rice-based, by various farmer cooperatives as well as the DA-PhilRice, DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and Rice Board, among others.
The department aims to advance the digitalization of rice industry development through its participation in the expo from November 17 to 19.
The observance of NRAM every November is pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 524, s. 2004. (DA/PIA-NCR)
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