24 Special Feature The creation of the National <strong>Grains</strong> Authority on September 26, 1972 is a major breakthrough in the history of the grains industry. The reason was timely and significant: to oversee the growth and development of the grains industry. It was a boom-bust cycle of existence as the agency has sailed through a meaningful journey of reconstruction as well as renewal. Treading the exact route to progress and aiming for the best solutions to problems had not been easy. Yet the agency had almost measured up to the standards of excellence that has become a way of life in its daily struggle to ensure the food needs of the nation. To this day, the agency strives to crown its existence with the kind of social responsibility that brings about positive change and security in the food industry. As the <strong>NFA</strong> marks its 40 th founding anniversary, it is but fitting to chronicle its major achievements as an organization tasked with a special mission that addresses a basic human need. <strong>NFA</strong> Scores Performance Highlights By Corazon L. Abio Photos by Maning Sadsad
1. Under the leadership of its first administrator, Jesus T. Tanchanco, <strong>NFA</strong> operated on seven major programs: procurement, distribution, production services, processing, infrastructure development, business promotion and regulation, as well as research and extension services. 2. Embarked on massive facility build-up in 1975. Its food infrastructure program aimed to build adequate physical capability to effectively stabilize supply and prices of basic food, reduce postharvest losses and improve quality of food commodities. To this day, <strong>NFA</strong> maintains modern post-harvest and warehousing facilities, driers, rice mills, and others. 3. Made first rice export to Indonesia on November 28, 1977 with a shipment of 10,000 metric tons with 5,000 MT exported two weeks later. Aside from Indonesia and Malaysia, Brazil also imported 32,030 MT of Philippine rice. The country was characterized by surplus not only in rice but in major staples as well in 1978 resulting in another rice delivery to Indonesia and Malaysia. 4. NGA organized subsidiaries in 1978: NAPHIRE on May 24, QUEDAN on June 9, GRAINSCOR on October 3, and the Food Terminal, Inc. on March 27. 5. Ventured into commercial food processing or commercial utilization of grains by-products. Established a pilot rice bran oil extraction plant at the Cabanatuan City grains complex. Large scale production began at the Southern Philippines <strong>Grains</strong> Complex in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat. Also ventured into fabrication of bricks from palay husks, alcohol from grains, parboiled rice and the use of rice flour as wheat extender. Went into commercial processing of garlic and onions processing them into powder, flake and tablet forms and eyed for foreign markets. 6. Established the Rice Parboiling Project – the pilot plant was donated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and installed at the NGA Cabanatuan City grains complex. 7. Witnessed the peak in export program in 1980 with 230,624.95 metric tons exported to eight countries, among them Senegal, Mexico and Vietnam. A shipment of 83,000 MT was also made to Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia as part of previous commitments. Export deliveries from 1977 to 1981 totalled 502,832 MT valued at $144.56M. Experimental shipments at minimal volumes of different food delicacies, fruits and vegetables were made to Singapore and Middle East. Special Feature 25 8. The first Kadiwa center rose on FTI grounds on April 14, 1980. The agency authorized FTI to handle the direct supervision of the Kadiwa centers in Metro Manila. <strong>NFA</strong>produced rice bran oil was sold in the Kadiwa centers. 9. On January 14, 1981, the NGA was reconstituted to <strong>NFA</strong> through Presidential Decree 1770 to cover other food commodities aside from rice and corn. This also meant additional powers: registration, licensing and supervision of entities engaged in wholesale, retail, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, packaging, importation, export of food commodities and other related activities. The reconstitution also authorized <strong>NFA</strong> to import and export food products of raw materials, equipment and facilities needed in the manufacture of food. 10. Aside from cereals, <strong>NFA</strong> bought other food commodities, such as vegetables and meat products direct from producers and channeled to consumers at reduced prices through the Kadiwa centers. There were more than 200 Kadiwa centers established nationwide located in the heart of thickly populated middle and low income communities. 11. Marketing linkages with farmer organizations and cooperatives through various buying centers or stations. 12. The <strong>NFA</strong>’s Corporate Farming Program allowed firms to engage in the production of food commodities aside from cereals. <strong>NFA</strong> embarked on direct farm production. Under the modular farming concept, farmers get technical assistance from <strong>NFA</strong> extension workers in the production of specific food products. The Corporate Farming Program was instrumental in boosting the country towards food sufficiency and surplus, and hastened the transfer of technology and farm management techniques to the countryside. 13. Exhibition of KKK products at the Bloomingdale complex in New York and at the World Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1982. The agency was tapped to become the lead agency in the marketing aspect of the Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran. 14. In 1984, the <strong>NFA</strong> became the government’s official wheat importer and distributor. This did not sit well with the private sector but was loaded by most sectors as rampant flour hoarding was averted.
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