PhilRice: P7.2 billion worth of rice in PH goes to waste in a year

An estimated P7.2 billion worth of rice is wasted in the Philippines  in a year, the Philippine Rice Research Institute has said.

According to Bernadette Reyes' report on "24 Oras", each consumer in the country wastes at least two tablespoons of rice a day and the wastage can feed over two million annually.

The Department of Agriculture expects a shortage of 80,000 metric tons of rice from July to September.

“Meron talaga tayong time of the year na konti na ang harvest ng local dyan po pumapasok naman yung importation yung augmentation natin. So based on that we want to ensure na stable ang supply para stable rin ang price,” Department of Agriculture (DA) assistant secretary Kristine Evangelista said.

(We have a time of the year when there is less local harvest. That's when the importation comes in, our augmentation. So based on that, we want to ensure that the supply is stable so that the price is also stable.)

“If we have to help our retailers get suppliers and yung suppliers naman ay tutulungan natin with logistics then we will do that. Hinahanap natin ngayon yung regular milled para at least kasi kung ang premium na 48, P40 lang eh, so ang regular milled na 37 baka meron pa tayong makitang 32,” she added.

(If we have to help our retailers, get suppliers, and we will help the suppliers with logistics then we will do that. We are now looking for the regular milled because if the premium 48 is only P40, so the regular milled 37 we might still find 32.)

Based on the price monitoring of the DA, the price of rice increased up to P2 per kilogram compared to last month.

“So definitely pagtumaas ang presyo mo ng iyong procurement, tataas ang presyo doon sa atin pong bigas,” DA deputy spokesperson Rex Estoperez said.

(So definitely if the price of your procurement increases, the price of our rice will also increase.) —NB, GMA Integrated News