Be ‘rice-ponsible’: Public urged to start with half-cup rice servings to avoid wastage

MANILA — The Philippine Rice Research Institute encourages the public to make it a habit to start with smaller rice portions in a bid to minimize wastage.

This is part of the institute’s advocacy as the country observes National Rice Awareness Month this November.

“Ini-encourage talaga namin sana magsimula sa half cup rice serving para mas ma-manage po ang pagkain kasi puwede ka naman bumalik,” PhilRice Deputy Executive Director for Development Dr. Karen Eloisa Barroga told state media PTV in an interview on Tuesday, November 10.

Data from the agriculture department showed that each Filipino wastes about two spoonfull of rice daily, adding up to 9.69 kilograms a year.

Overall, 542,477.6 metric tons of rice are wasted every year nationwide which the agency said enough to feed 5.17 million Filipinos for a full year.

“Kinakampaniya po namin iyon na hindi lang po ang mga magsasaka ang makakatugon lagi sa ating kakulangan sa bigas na sila ay magpadami nang magpadami ng kanilang ani pero ang mga consumers ay puwedeng-puwede rin pong makatulong sa kampanya na ito, advocacy na ito by being ‘rice-ponsible’,” she added.


The PhilRice official also called on the public to support farmers by buying locally produced rice, arguing that there are also local varieties that are “equally as good” as imported rice.

“In fact, iyong po ating 218 na variety, nanalo na ito ng silver and bronze sa world’s best rice. So kalaban natin ang Vietnam, ang Cambodia, Myanmar. So nagkakapuwesto tayo, nasa top 3 tayo,” Barroga said.

“So, may laban ang ating bigas kung sarap lang ang pag-uusapan,” she noted.

The institute also encourages consumers to choose healthier rice to improve diets and help fight malnutrition in the country.