Grains - 3rd Quarter : 2012 - NFA

1. Under the leadership of its first administrator,
Jesus T. Tanchanco, NFA 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, NFA 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 Grains 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.
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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. NFAproduced
rice bran oil was sold in the Kadiwa centers.
9. On January 14, 1981, the NGA was reconstituted
to NFA 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 NFA to import
and export food products of raw materials, equipment and
facilities needed in the manufacture of food.
10. Aside from cereals, NFA 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 NFA’s Corporate Farming Program allowed
firms to engage in the production of food commodities
aside from cereals. NFA embarked on direct farm
production. Under the modular farming concept, farmers
get technical assistance from NFA 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 NFA 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.