DA launches National Rice Awareness Month celebration.

With the harvest season in full swing, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is calling on Filipinos to join this year’s National Rice Awareness Month celebration, promoting responsible rice consumption and appreciation for local farmers.

Under the theme “Be RICEponsible,” the month-long campaign encourages the public to value every grain of rice, reduce food waste, and support healthier alternatives such as brown, red, or black rice. The DA also aims to raise awareness about the hard work of rice farmers and the importance of buying locally produced rice to strengthen the country’s food security.

To make the celebration more engaging, the DA is launching several nationwide contests open to all Filipinos. These include:

• RICEponsible Patroller – an online challenge recognizing individuals who promote responsible rice consumption and anti-food waste practices in their communities;

• Brown, Red, or Black Rice Challenge – a health-centered activity that encourages participants to switch from white rice to more nutritious local varieties;

• Hugot Para sa Bawat Butil – a creative writing competition where participants express their thoughts on the value of rice and farmers through poetry or short “hugot” lines.

Winners will receive exciting prizes, and entries will be accepted until November 24, 2025.

The DA’s Be RICEponsible campaign, first launched in 2015, continues to remind Filipinos that rice is a precious resource that should never be wasted. According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), every Filipino wastes around two tablespoons of cooked rice daily—equivalent to more than 300,000 metric tons of rice nationwide each year, enough to feed millions of families.

By joining the campaign, the public not only helps lessen food waste but also contributes to improving farmers’ livelihoods and promoting healthier eating habits.

The DA encourages everyone to take part in this year’s activities and become advocates for responsible rice consumption—one plate at a time.

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