THE Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) on Saturday granted the request of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to authorize the issuance of quarantine passes to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
This will ensure the unhampered movement of agricultural products to the areas hit by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed to curb the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Seeing the need to ensure food delivery and other agricultural commodities to markets, especially those located in critical areas where people cannot buy food because of the ECQ, DAR secretary John Castriciones lobbied the request for authorization.
“This move kills two birds with one stone because this (objective) will help contribute to food sufficiency and also help our farmers survive Covid-19 by earning income through assisting them in selling their agri-products,” Castriciones said.
The DAR is now crafting a memorandum circular to guide DAR and ARBs in properly implementing the endeavor.
He said the authorization would also accredit suppliers and truckers of agricultural products to be given incentives such as truck-ban exemptions, ease of passage in checkpoints and immediate assistance from local government units during deliveries.
The issuance of quarantine passes, or food passes is being implemented under the Foodlane Project where DAR and other government agencies converge to institutionalize efficient and seamless distribution of agricultural and fishery products from the production sites to market centers.(with reports from DAR/PN)
