November is paramount as far as healthy food is concerned.
In accordance with Proclamations 524 and 1030, the eleventh month of the year is declared as Rice Awareness and Organic Agriculture Month all across the country.
With the theme “#BROWN4good challenge accepted: We bring four goodness by eating brown rice,” the National Rice Awareness Month aims to encourage more Filipinos to eat brown (unpolished) rice regularly.
“This activity aims to inform everyone of the positive impact of eating and consuming brown rice, first and foremost to us [personally], the farmers, the country, and to others,” Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Ariel T. Cayanan said.
He also asked everyone to join the #BROWN4good challenge of the Rice program.
“Take a photo of your brown rice meal and post it your social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, so that we can encourage others to eat brown rice,” he added.
“But our responsibility should not stop here, we should continue to patronize brown rice,” Cayanan ended.
The Organic Agriculture Month, on the other hand, is being celebrated to further promote and develop chemical free food production in support to the RA 10068: Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.
“The concept of organic agriculture started because of the clamor from the farmers to reduce harmful effects of chemical-based fertilizers,” Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
This year’s theme “Organikong Pamamaraan: Para sa kaunlaran ng mamamayan at ng kalikasan” seeks to address the demand for safe food and as a means to lessen environment degradation.
To date, the Philippines has developed 343,387 hectares of organic agriculture area and which has benefitted 116,558 farmers.
Puyat said the Organic Agriculture Program of the Department of Agriculture continues to provide programs in hope for sustainable and competitive agriculture in attaining country’s food security.
As part of the celebration, a joint exhibit was opened at the DA Lobby which showcased program highlights for the development of brown rice and organic agriculture. Undersecretaries Cayanan and Puyat led the opening of the exhibit with the assistance Assistant Secretary Federico E. Laciste Jr. and Engr. Christopher V. Morales. ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)
