Govt agency: Daily rice wastage in PHL costs P23M

Filipinos waste three tablespoons of rice every day, bringing to about P23 million the cost of daily rice wastage in the Philippines, a research institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said. The cost of rice wastage was based on a survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), one of the research and development institutes (RDIs) of the DOST. According to a news release on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, the Philippines "could save P9.6 billion from rice importation and can feed 4.3 million hungry Filipinos in a year.' The CBCP said a student forum was conducted recently to determine how to the country can become rice self-sufficient by 2013. During the forum, more than 500 students and university professors in Naga City pledged to conserve rice as part of the "Save Rice, Save Lives" program of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). The CBCP said the forum was the first of a three-part university forum series being conducted by the PhilRice as part of the celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month in November. PhilRice, a government-owned and –controlled corporation under the Department of Agriculture, partnered with the Ateneo de Naga Economics Society for the event. Save Rice, Save Lives According to the "Save Rice, Save Lives" website, the movement encourages people to eat the right amount of rice, no leftovers. "If you finish all the rice on your plate, you will do your country a great favor in its quest for rice self-sufficiency," the site said. - VVP, GMA News