AGRICULTURE Secretary William D. Dar said he has resolved the issue of food cargoes that were held up at local government-run checkpoints, after conferring with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In a virtual news conference Thursday, Mr. Dar said he now expects food shipments, which have been halted at some checkpoints run by local government units (LGUs), to proceed unhampered.
“Food supply will always be fundamental during a crisis like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” Mr. Dar said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued 99,948 food passes to vehicles carrying basic food commodities, which allow them to pass checkpoints thrown up to enforce national and local quarantines.
His updates of the Department’s food supply estimates include 84 days’ worth of consumption for rice, 147 days for corn, 28 days for vegetables, 12 days for fish, 111 days for poultry, 21 days for garlic and onion, and eight days for pork.
However, Mr. Dar warned that food passes issued to vehicles carrying produce may only be used for the transport of such cargoes.
“Distribution of relief goods is not included in the mandated use of the DA food pass,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
