Each Filipino wastes 2 spoonfuls of rice a day, DA regional officer says

MANILA, Philippines— Each Filipino wastes two spoonfuls of rice a day, an amount that seems negligible until you consider that there were more than 100 million of us the last time the government conducted a census in 2015.

“The Department of Agriculture (DA) in region 7's information officer Melquiades Ibarra says that each Filipino wastes 2 spoonfuls of rice a day!,” the Public Information Agency of Central Visayas said in a tweet on National Rice Awareness Month.

It's National Rice Awareness Month!

DID YOU KNOW?

The Department of Agriculture (DA) in region 7's information officer Melquiades Ibarra says that each Filipino wastes 2 spoonfuls of rice a day! #EmpoweringCommunities

— PIA Central Visayas (@PIACentralVis) October 30, 2019

To avoid rice wastage, the DA urged the Filipinos to only buy and/or prepare rice that one can finish.

Try camote, corn too

Ibarra also called on the public to eat other crops as an alternative to rice.

“I urge everyone to take part in the National Rice Awareness Month by reducing rice consumption and/or shift to eating other crops like corn, camote, or gabi, not only to avoid rice wastage but to also to help in the increase of local farmers' income,” Ibarra said.

The PIA quoted the DA as saying that rice production in Central Visayas is declining because the increase in the number of consumers doe not match the number of rice farmers or producers.

In September, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that total rice inventory is at 1.84 million metric tons, which is 13.7% higher than the 1.16 million MT recorded in 2018.

According to a recent report of The STAR, the average daily rice consumption of Filipinos is at 32,000 MT. The current inventory is enough for 58 days. —Rosette Adel

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