Celebrating November as national rice awareness month

ONCE more, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is spearheading the celebration of National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) this month of November.

Filipinos are rice eaters. Rice is the primary livelihood of most Filipino farmers. The nation’s agricultural land is primarily devoted to rice.

This year’s NRAM encourages Filipinos to be grateful and responsible with rice or simply “Be RICEponsible.”

It has been noted that various diseases are now associated with eating too much rice. In this month’s celebration, it is thus “imperative to increase Filipinos’ awareness on how to enjoy our rice, the healthy way,” according to Dr. Myriam G. Layaoen, “Be RICEponsible,” campaign director.

NRAM’s 2017 event is celebrated with the theme, “Ready? SET rice! RICEponsible Filipinos save rice, eat healthily, and try brown rice.” It encourages Filipinos to undertake activities that will promote “eating the right proportion of rice, especially its healthy forms like brown rice and rice mixes,” as “RICEponsible Filipinos must be calorie-wise,” according to Dr. Layaoen.

A Harvard School of Public Health study has reported that the carbohydrate content of a bowl of rice is equivalent to two cans of soft drink. “To be healthy,” Dr. Layaoen said, “rice should only be 33 percent of our plate.”

For better results: she added: “Instead of white rice, consider eating brown and pigmented rice; and eat more corn grits, saba, cassava, and camote.”

NRAM will kick-off on November 6 at Liwasang Aurora, Quezon City Memorial Circle, with the launching of pedal-type brown rice mill, technology bulletin, and Si Malakas at Maganda: Colored Rice Exhibition.

Simultaneous with the launching of NRAM in Quezon City, the Department of AgricultureCAR will also launch its month-long NRAM on Monday with a recital of the “Panatang Makapalay” during the flag raising ceremony, and an announcement of NRAM activities by the Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Information Unit (DA-CAR RAFIS). A briefing and orientation on NRAM will immediately follow. Other NRAM activities during the month include a social media promotion and contest on RICEponsible and healthy eating, and a fun run and feeding program with brown rice. This year’s NRAM is a follow-through of the previous years’ RICEponsible campaigns pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 524 s. 2014 that mandates the annual celebration of National Rice Awareness Month every November. The celebration is led by the Department of Agriculture through PhilRice as the lead agency.

NRAM’s message every month of November is for Filipinos in the RICEponsible Philippines to treasure rice as their staple food, and still the primary livelihood source of the majority of the farmers. Rice is almost synonymous with the nation’s health, economic, and political life.

Thus in this column, let me re-echo the lasting messages of NRAM throughout the years, once more.

“As a CONSUMER, do not waste even a single grain of rice, eat brown rice and rice mixed with other staples, and appreciate our rice farmers by thanking them literally or valuing the fruits of their labor.

If you are a FARMER, plant rice and adopt recommended technologies to increase your income and your farm’s yield.

If you are a POLICY-MAKER, help institutionalize the availability and default serving of half cup of rice to prevent wastage and give consumers more options. You could also help promote the production and serving of healthier rice such as regular milled rice, brown rice, and rice mixed with cassava,” and healthy servings of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, nuts, legumes, poultry, dairy products and others for healthy well-being in a RICEponsible Philippines. -30-