NRAM 2025 CAMPAIGN

Farmers, legislators, consumers

addressed with ABKD campaign

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, (PIA)—Getting to the core issue in rice, the Department of Agriculture 7 brings Be RICEponsible campaign to address issues to industry players: farmers, policy makers and consumers to pull the per capita consumption down and consequently raise rice availability to all.

At the Kapihan sa PIA Bohol, guest resource person and DA-7 information Officer bared this while pushing rice into the table of public discourse in time for the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) in November.

As the campaign also focuses on reducing rice wastage, going for brown rice and alternate food staples and buying local, DA-7 IO Cheryll dela Victoria, brought to the radio forum, a paper plate to emphasize the point.

NRAM is observed following Proclamation No. 524 (s. 2004), to raise public awareness about the importance of rice — not only as a staple food, but also as a cornerstone of food security, livelihood, and national self-sufficiency.

With the 2025 theme “Be RICEponsible” this emphasizes healthier and more responsible rice consumption, supporting local farmers, and reducing food waste by legislation and good eating practices, she explained.

For better recall, DA uses ABKD in the campaign to engage Filipinos into the call.

Farmers, who are getting older, should not be discouraged in continuing to plant to keep the food coming, dela Victoria appealed, even as she urged people to simply pat a farmer’s shoulder as a sign of appreciation.

Thank you for their determination and commitment, and to them, there are technologies that we can give them to increase their production, DA official said.

Then there are policy makers who can help us craft in legislating for an option on half-cup rice, dela Victoria said.

Restaurants that do not offer the option of half-cup rice tend to have more food wasted that turns to swill, something that can be avoided, if a half cup option were available, authorities pointed out.

And then, there are the consumers.

To these key players, DA has a mnemonics: ABKD.

“Adlay, mais, saba, atbp. ay ihalo sa kanin,” B for “Brown rice ay kainin,” K for “Kanin ay huwag sayangin,” and D for “Dapat bigas ng Pilipinas ang bilhin,”dela Victoria said.

Everything in the campaign seeks at extending the staple through extenders and substitutes, going for the more nutritious brown rice, reducing wastage by legislation and buying locally produced rice.

In Bohol, rice is mainly produced by small Bohol farmers, tilling about 72,630 hectares or rice lands: approximately 41,738 is irrigated and 30,892 hectares, rain-fed, Bohol keeps a high production rate, that the campaign could be to make more rice available to non-rice producing communities.

In 2024, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority said Boholano palay production was about 234,801.78 metric tons, making Bohol 90.34% rice sufficient and keeping its title as the “Rice Basket “in Central Visayas.

With it, volume of production and area planted with palay in 2019 was 153,405 metric tons from 57,400 hectares with an average yield of 2.47 metric tons per hectare.

In 2024, production volume reached 234,801 metric tons, the area planted reached 72,3690 and the yield reached 3.23 metric tons per hectare, PSA data showed.

At the regional level, Central Visayas rice production is largely dependent on Bohol that in 2024, the province accounted 74% of the region’s rice production. (PIABohol)

BE RICEPONSIBLE. Thank a farmer, eat the more nutritious brown rice, use staple substitutes as extenders, legislate for food saving options, eat only what is needed and buy local, suggests the DA through IO Che dela Victoria during the recent Kapihan. (PIABohol)