AGRICULTURAL suppliers will experience further unhampered delivery of their produce in checkpoints within the region as the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-Davao) extended the validity of food lane passes.
In an advisory, DA-Davao said the food lane passes issued for cargoes or trucks bringing food and agricultural supplies are now valid until the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) based on the DA Memorandum Circular 11 series of 2020.
“The extension shall ensure the continuous unhampered food production and movement of all cargoes, agriculture and fishery inputs, food products, and agribusiness personnel across the country amidst the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic,” DA secretary William D. Dar said.
DA-Davao information officer Noel Provido said initially, the food passes for the cargoes were valid until April 15 since the ECQ is anticipated to end on April 19 based on the memoranda issued by the Region 11 Covid-19 Task Force (Covid-19 RTF).
He said it will now depend on the date the ECQ in the respective provinces will be lifted.
“Katong mga nakakuha og food pass, pwede na sila nga dili mag parenew, dili na sila magrequest og another food pass although free man na siya (Those who have secured food pass, they do not have to renew or request another pass although it is issued for free),” he said.
As of April 14, DA-Davao Region has issued 9,109 food lane passes.
Earlier, Provido said that those eligible for the accreditation for the food lane pass are food suppliers, farmers’ cooperatives or associations, truckers, logistics, and distribution entities of agricultural goods. Rag