THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas revealed that an estimated five percent of rice production in the region is lost due to post-harvest inefficiencies. On paper, that figure may look small. But in a region that contributes significantly to the nation’s rice supply, this translates into thousands of sacks of palay wasted every harvest season — grains that should have filled plates, not gone to waste.
In a country where millions of Filipinos remain food-insecure, such wastage is a silent tragedy. It is not simply an economic loss for farmers but a blow to national food security. Every kilogram wasted means fewer households fed, fewer families relieved from the burden of soaring rice prices.
The causes are painfully familiar: outdated post-harvest methods, inadequate drying facilities, and the reliance on manual threshing and solar drying. These traditional practices, while time-honored, can no longer keep pace with the demands of modern food security. As DA-6’s Maria Teresa Solis bluntly noted, Filipino farmers remain “20 years behind” their counterparts in developed countries such as Korea. That gap shows in every ton of rice that rots or spills away.
Western Visayas, with its vast rice fields, offers a clear example of how systemic inefficiency undermines productivity. While government has provided some mechanized harvesters and rice mills, they remain insufficient, scattered, or beyond the reach of small-scale farmers. The result is avoidable losses, harvest after harvest.
Reducing post-harvest waste must be treated with the same urgency as boosting production. What use are new seeds, fertilizers, or irrigation systems if the gains are squandered during harvest and storage? Investments in mechanization and post-harvest infrastructure are necessities in a country where rice remains the staple of every table.
But technology alone will not solve the problem. A change in mindset is equally crucial. The DA has rightly pointed out that household and restaurant wastage — plates of leftover rice, pots of uneaten vegetables — is a bigger but largely invisible part of the crisis. Discipline in food preparation, awareness on storage, and the habit of consuming wisely must be part of a broader national campaign.
The Western Visayas experience is a wake-up call. If even the country’s rice-rich provinces are losing significant portions of their harvests, what more in areas with less support and weaker facilities? Food security should not only focus on growing more but also on wasting less.
The challenge is urgent, and the solution requires a concerted effort: government investment, farmer training, LGU support, and public awareness. Every grain saved is a meal secured. In these times of rising prices and persistent hunger, the country cannot afford to let five percent — or any percent — go to waste.
