The National Food Authority (NFA) through its Industry Services Department (ISD) has been accredited as Cooperative Training Provider by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) from April 25, 2017 to April 24, 2018.
“The accreditation strengthens the role of NFA in empowering farmers’ cooperatives and organizations via capability building programs,” according to NFA administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino. He said “Palay and corn farmers may now access various training programs from the grains agency, designed to enhance the operational, entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities of officers and staff of farmers’ cooperatives. It will complement other programs of the grains agency geared towards transforming farmers’ cooperatives into sustainable village level grains processing and marketing centers.”
The NFA is mandated to ensure national food security and stabilize supply and prices of staple cereals both in the farm and consumer levels. Its mission is to ensure reasonable rate of return to Filipino farmers, provide adequate supply and affordable rice and corn for the country, and promote the integrated growth and modernization of the rice and corn marketing industry to enable it to compete in the global market.
According to NFA-Industry Services Department (ISD) Director Judy Carol L. Dansal the agency has been conducting trainings for palay and corn farmers since it was created by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 4 in September 1972. “Several decades ago, capability building coupled with modern production technology, adoption of new varieties and financing from rural banks and government financial institutions to farmers resulted to bumper harvests, which also pushed the Philippines towards export of rice to other countries,” Dansal explained.
“It is about time the country regains its ground towards competitiveness by pursuing sustainable grains production to attain food sufficiency for the country which is the thrust of the Duterte administration,” Aquino said. He added that “the agency will always be ready to procure grains locally so that farmers will have a ready market for their produce.”
He called on the grains industry stakeholders, people’s organizations and other government instrumentalities to share their ideas, resources and strategies and to unite towards achieving a genuine staple food security for the country.
