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Archives
Dec. 1-31, 2003
Philippines plans for 2004
International Year of Rice
by Ma. Lizbeth J. Baroņa
Rice is life.
This three words sum up what rice is,
and has been, to more than half of the world’s
population. With the celebration of the International
Year of Rice (IYR) coming in 2004, the country, having
played a major role in making IYR 2004 possible, is
making huge preparations to celebrate this unprecedented
tribute for the country’s staple food.
Headed by the International Year for
Rice National Steering Committee chair, and Department
of Agriculture(DA) Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo, the country
kicked off with an awareness campaign for the IYR Philippine
Celebration through a press briefing at the DA-ITCAF
conference room, 12 December 2003.
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| Panelists during the press
briefing (L-R) Philrice Executive Director Leo Sebastian,
IRRI Director General Ron Cantrell, DA Secretary
Luis Lorenzo, Asia Rice Foundation Vice Chair Fernando
Bernardo, and FAO Representative Aurelio Cruz |
The event primarily aimed to create awareness
of the year-round activities in the country that give
tribute to the value and importance of rice. These events
will be formally launched next year.
Secretary Lorenzo highlighted the fact
that it was through a resolution spearheaded by the
Philippine government through the Philippine Rice Research
Institute(PhilRice), supported by 43 other nations,
that the United Nations(UN) declared 2004 as The International
Year of Rice. The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA)
approved the resolution during its 57th session.
When Dr. Jacques Diouf, director-general
of the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the
United Nations launched the International Year for Rice
2004 last October 31, it was made while acknowledging
the problems, as well as opportunities, of rice, and
its growers and dependents all over the world.
Dr. Diouf pointed out that the world
population continues to grow, while the land and water
resources for rice production are diminishing.
“While the Green Revolution of
the 1970s greatly alleviated the global burden of hunger
in some parts of the world, these benefits have been
leveling off,” he warned.
Even as the country prepares to celebrate
IYR, issues about the country’s rice sustainability
keeps on popping in the picture. Sec. Lorenzo addressed
this concern in the press briefing by revealing that
the country is now 87% sustainable, and aims to be 97-100%
sustainable in a couple of years or so. He said that
dwindling resources vis-à-vis the growing population
is the cause of the country’s inability to even
off for rice self sufficiency.
Philippines’ celebrations will
include a Rice Environment Week in June 2004 sponsored
by Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR),
a rock concert called Rock for Banaue Rice Terraces
spearheaded by the state universities and colleges(SUCs),
World Food Day on October 16, 2004, a National Conference
on Rice Farming and Diversity to be spearheaded by the
Commission on Higher Education(CHED), an intensive awareness
campaign on the value of rice through brochures, radio
and TV plugs, and a music television featuring rice
using the Philippine national anthem as music backdrop.
Member agencies in the celebration are
the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural
Development(ANGOC), Asia Rice Foundation(ARF), DA-Bureau
of Agricultural Research(BAR), Commission on Higher
Education(CHED), Department of Agriculture(DA), Department
of Agrarian Reform(DAR), DA-Regional Field Units(DA-RFUs),
Department of Budget and Management(DBM), Department
of Education(DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural
Resources(DENR), Department of Science and Technology(DOST),
Department of Tourism(DoT), Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO),
International of Rice Research Institute(IRRI), National
Commission for Culture and Arts(NCCA), Philippine Information
Agency(PIA), Philippine Rice Research Institute(Philrice),
and the Rice Industry Development Foundation of the
Philippines, Inc(RiceDev).
Secretary Richard J. Gordon of DoT, and
Dr. Emil Q. Javier of ARF are co-vice-chairs the IYR
National Steering Committee. 
December 1-31 2003 Articles:
:: Philippines plans for 2004 International Year of Rice
:: BAR Chronicle wins 2003 Gawad Oscar Florendo Award
:: Year of the Rice: Rice and World Poverty and Hunger
:: Committee to review DA websites created
:: This year's PANTAS awardee
:: First GM pigeonpea: Farmers' arm to productivity
::: More December 2003 articles :::
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