Rice Goes to Wastes in Philippines

Rice Goes to Wastes in Philippines

Filipinos waste too much rice, resulting in losses worth more than P23 million a day or about P8.4 billion a year, according to the International Rice Research Institute (Irri).

“Research shows that the Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer for several years, wastes rice worth at least $535,000 (P23 million) every day, or at least $223 million a year—enough to feed 4.3 million people,” an article on the Irri website said.

The Irri, based in Los Baños, Laguna province, said the “Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), under the Department of Science and Technology, revealed 2008 data, further noting that every Filipino wastes an average of 3 tablespoons (9 grams) of rice daily, which is equivalent to 3.3 kilograms per year.”

The FNRI’s National Nutrition Survey also showed that Luzon led the daily rice wastage at 16 g per capita. The Visayas and Mindanao’s losses were pegged at 12 g per capita.

The Irri said total wastage could reach 308,000 tons or 36 percent of the 2011 rice imports if 94 million Filipinos wasted 9 g a  day.

Self-sufficient by 2013

The Philippines, at one time the world’s largest rice importer, aims to be self-sufficient in the staple by 2013.

“If we look at the trend of the two FNRI surveys (2003 and 2008), it is not impossible to influence the seemingly wasteful-eating behavior of Filipinos,” the Irri article said, quoting Flordeliza Bordey, an economist at Philippine Rice Research Institute.

Losses come from unmilled grains through poor harvesting and postharvest activities, inefficient transportation, inadequate storage, wasteful processing and market spoilage, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report in 2011.

Consumption, when the final wastage takes place, usually results in throwaways or leftovers.

Poor eat more rice

“Perhaps one of the most important reasons for food waste at the consumption level in rich countries,” the FAO report said, “is that people simply can afford to waste food.”

Filipinos depend on rice because it is a cheap source of carbohydrates that provides them with energy for their daily activities, the Department of Agriculture said.

Half of the typical Filipino plate contains rice despite recommendations to eat more fruits and vegetables, it said.

An average Filipino consumes 119 kg of rice per year. Those in lower-income households eat more rice than the middle- and upper-income groups, whose diets are more varied.

Rice Goes to Waste in Philippines

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Rice Goes to Waste in Philippines

They say that Filipinos are very glutton when it comes to eating. I am a Filipino and I believe sometimes that when there is still an opportunity to eat, then go for it. I agree in this kind of saying especially if you belong to  a typical or more likely in a poor family, you might agree to this also.

       If a person experience poverty, there is a great chance that you can only eat twice or once a day because you cannot afford to buy more food. But Filipinos are rational people, they depend on rice because it is a cheap source of carbohydrates that provides energy for their daily activities. I know it is very applicable but sometimes, we as a Filipino as saddening as it is, didn't know that more rice have gone to wastes. We take excessive food for fear that the food would run-out, resulting to food wastage. There are times also that foods went spoilage in markets, karinderya and even in the households.This kind of thing is very unacceptable because as we can see today there are lots of Filipinos who are starving and are in need of lots of nutrition. Instead of saving more food we are wasting more food.

     For me, every single grain of rice is very important because if you combine it together it will make tons that could  provide rice for Filipinos who are starving. Let us learn to conserved more rice from now on. We just have to get the right amount we needed in eating and we must avoid left overs, even if it is just a grain on the plate. It is important to conserve more rice because  I realized farmers are there, out in the heat of the sun and planting rice all day long. There are much time left or us to reduce the wastage of food, especially rice, that is the most essential for every Filipino. Who knows someday, after producing and conserving more rice, there will be no shortage and wastage instead there will be surplus. If that happens, our country will not be importing rice instead we will export rice to other countries.