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The NATIONAL
FOOD AUTHORITY (NFA) was created through
Presidential Decree No. 4 dated September 26, 1972,
under the name National Grains Authority, with the
mission of promoting the integrated growth and development
of the grains industry covering rice, corn, feedgrains
and other grains like sorghum, mongo, and peanut.
This decree abolished two agencies, namely; the
Rice and Corn Board (RICOB) and
the Rice and Corn Administration (RCA)
- the former discharging the regulatory function,
while the latter was tasked with the marketing function.
In January 14, 1981 Presidential Decree (PD)
No. 1770 was issued which reconstituted the NGA
into what is now the National Food Authority
(NFA). This decree, among others, widened
its commodity coverage to include, in addition
to grains, other food items like raw or fresh,
manufactured, processed, or packaged food products,
collectively referred to as non-grains commodities.
In May 31, 1985, Executive Order No. 1028 was
issued and ordered the deregulation of trading
of food products undertaken by NFA under PD 1770.
This resulted in the termination of NFA's non-grains
trading activities and the return of feedgrains
and wheat importation to the private sector as
well as the lifting of price controls/ceilings
on rice.
Today, the National Food Authority is vested
with regulatory powers over the grains industry
and is likewise tasked with implementing the government's
food security program. Occassionally, it is given
the responsibility of distributing certain specified
commodities such as sugar.
In the last five years or so, in response to
the initiatives on globalization, and as part
of the efforts to trim the national budgetary
deficit, the government has been looking into
the possibility of privatizing the NFA. This,
however, will require an act of Congress since
the NFA's enabling act is part of the law of the
land and any amendment or changes therein can
only be done through an act of the legislature.
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