The Department of Agriculture (DA) has extended the validity of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for imported meat from 60 days to 90 days.
The DA also issued Memorandum Circular No. 14 series of 2021 on the rules governing the distribution of fertilizer discount vouchers to rice farmers.
DA Administrative Order 21 series of 2021 signed on August 10 extending the validity of SPSICs was issued to consider the effects of the current pandemic and supply contraction of container vans in shipping and logistical difficulties.
Once the validity period of the SPSIC expires, an importer has go through the process of application again from the BAI. The extension of its validity was implemented by the DA to grant importers some consideration on logistical difficulties and lessen red tape to assure unhampered supply of imported meat amid the pandemic.
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) from January to May this year, SPSICs for 1.18 billion kilograms (kg) of imported meat have been issued. Most of the permits are for pork with 592 million kgs; followed by chicken with 402 million kgs and; beef with 158 million kgs
Other SPSICs were for buffalo with 24/ million kgs.; turkey 2 million kgs; lamb, 832,535 kg; and; duck, 7,580 kg.
Meanwhile, BAI in the first half of the year recorded that a total of 575.16 million kgs of imported meat have arrived in the country. Bulk of the volume is pork, 278 million kgs.; chicken, 185 million kgs and; beef, 83 million kgs.
MC14 signed on August 4 aims to implement the fertilizer voucher discount distribution in 1.15 million hectares (has) of of rice land in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Mimaropa and Bicol with a total budget of P3.26 billion.
The circular said farmers will be provided with discount vouchers with a value equivalent to P2,000 per ha for inbred and P3,000 per ha for hybrid rice. The discount vouchers will be one-time use and may be claimed at any accredited fertilizer merchant in their preferred area.
Fertilizer merchants will be accredited by DA’s regional field offices which could include dealers, distributors or farmer cooperatives and associations.
Qualified farmers for the program are those who already received high quality seeds in the targeted rice areas to allow them to adopt full high-yielding technology practices.
Preference will also be given to rice farmers in areas with low fertilizer adoption rate.
