Japan will provide over a hundred million pesos worth of grant to upgrade the National Food Authority's (NFA)'s grain-quality testing system.

The system upgrade under a P184.2-million project funded largely by the Government of Japan will strengthen the country's food security efforts by reducing postharvest losses and improving the quality of rice and corn reaching the market.

According to the Department of Agriculture, "Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will provide a grant of P124.4 million" while "the Philippine government will shoulder P59.8 million in counterpart funding.

"It noted that the "three-year initiative, set for implementation from 2026 to 2028 pending Executive Committee approval, will modernize the NFA's institutional capacity in grains postharvest processing through an enhanced Product Quality Evaluation System (PQuEST)."

''The program will upgrade laboratory facilities at the NFA Central Office and regional laboratories in Regions 2 (Cagayan Valley), 6 (Western Visayas), and 11 (Davao Region), equip them with new testing instruments, and overhaul existing grain quality assessment protocols. New testing standards and operating manuals for 22 laboratory equipment units will also be developed," it stated.

"The project also places strong emphasis on workforce development. Technical personnel will undergo local and overseas training, including specialized courses in Japan focused on rice quality assessment and in Thailand for corn testing technologies," it added.

The DA stressed that the "knowledge gained from the training programs will be cascaded to branch offices nationwide, helping standardize grain quality evaluation across the agency."

"Beyond improving laboratory capabilities, the project is expected to strengthen varietal screening of new grain strains and support the development of more suitable grain-handling and evaluation technologies," the department said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said "strengthening the NFA's testing capability is a vital investment in the country's food security architecture" noting that "better science and more accurate quality assessment are just as important as increasing production."

"Food security is not measured only by how much rice or corn we produce, but also by how well we preserve its quality from harvest to market," Tiu Laurel said.

"By modernizing the NFA's laboratories and adopting science-based testing systems, we are equipping the agency with better tools to protect grain quality, support sound policymaking, and enhance the competitiveness of our agriculture sector," he added.

The Agriculture secretary also expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan and JICA for their continued partnership in strengthening Philippine agriculture. "This project goes beyond modern equipment. It strengthens our technical capability, promotes knowledge transfer, and helps build a more resilient and efficient grain management system that will benefit Filipino farmers and consumers," he said. Robina Asido/PHS