THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a supplemental circular to ensure unimpeded transit of food items in all quarantine checkpoints.
This was after reports of difficulties encountered in the delivery to Metro Manila of food and agricultural input products on March 17, the first day of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.
Memorandum Circular 7 series of 2020 identified the following commodities covered: rice, sugar, fruits, vegetables, spices, fish, aquatic produce, hogs, poultry, carabao, cattle, goat, sheep, eggs, milk, dairy products, all types of meat products, canned products and cooking oil.
For farm inputs, these are: day-old chicks, breeder pigs, animal semen, corn, soya, flour, rice bran, wheat, copra meal, pre-mixes including enzymes and probiotics, veterinary vaccines, vitamins, supplements, test kits for animal disease, disinfectants, chlorines, farm machineries, cold storage, meat processing equipment, fingerlings, feeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation equipment and mill supplies.
These shipments should be accompanied by documents.
The DA said food producers, manufacturers, traders and importers can apply for foodlane accreditations at the DA main office;
Bureau of Plant Industries for vegetable and rootcrops; Bureau of Animal Industries for live animals; Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for fish and other aquaculture products; and the National Meat Inspection Service for frozen products.
