THE Provincial Government of Davao del Norte has prohibited the selling and trading delivery of rice grains outside the province.

Davao del Norte governor Edwin Jubahib issued Memorandum Order no. 8 series of 2020 on Friday, Marcy 27, mandating all rice producers, traders in Davao del Norte to stop selling, delivering rice grains outside their province to ensure sufficient supply during the community quarantine period.

Jubahib said the order was issued due to the prevailing implementation of the community quarantine period in the entire province following the declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte of a state of public health emergency and state of calamity throughout the country due to the increasing number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The governor, as of press time, has not yet issued additional statement regarding the matter.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, on Saturday, March 28, did not comment regarding Jubahib’s order.

Duterte-Carpio, however, said Davao de Oro Governor Tyron Uy is already reaching out to Jubahib to discuss his order.

“We will wait unsa iyang istorya (We will wait for his response),” the city mayor said in a radio interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

Sunstar Davao has tried to reach out to the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao) to comment on Jubahib’s order.

DA-Davao Region information officer Noel Provido, however, said in a previous report that the agency assured that rice supply will be sufficient for the region while under lockdown.

Although the current rice inventory of the agriculture department showed that rice supply will last up to 318 days starting March 16, 2020, Provido said more rice supplies are expected to come after the end of the harvest season. (With report from Roberto A. Gumba)