Cargo capacity, discount ibibigay sa agricultural at food products

INUTUSAN ng Department of Transportation ang mga domestic shipping companies na ilaan ang hindi bababa sa 12 porsyento ng kanilang cargo capacity sa mga agricultural at food products.

Sa inilabas na Department Order 2020-007, inatasan din ni Sec. Arthur Tugade ang mga domestic shipping lines na magbigay ng 40 porsyentong discount sa mga isasakay na pagkain sa kanilang barko.

“At this period when the danger of the pandemic is still very real, the people must be assured that the production and delivery of food and agricultural items will not be hampered or delayed. This is important as many parts of the country remain under quarantine measures where movement is restricted,” ani Tugade.

Inatasan ni Tugade ang Maritime Industry Authority na agad na maglabas ng guidelines sa pagpapatupad ng DO at ang Philippine Ports Authority upang maparusahan ang mga shipping lines na hindi susunod.

Sinabi naman ni Trade and Industry Sec. Ramon Lopez na ang utos ng DoTr ay makatutulong sa memorandum na inilabas ng DTI na nag-aalis sa limitasyon sa pagbili ng mga pangunahing produkto.

“From the very beginning, the stable supply and unhampered movement of all food and non-food cargoes has always been our priority. This is to prevent the unreasonable increase in the prices of goods, especially at this time of the pandemic when sources of income are limited,” ani Lopez.

Ayon naman kay Agriculture spokesperson Noel Reyes ang DO ay makatutulong upang matiyak na mayroong sapat na suplay ng pagkain sa bansa at hindi tataas ang presyo nito.

“Agriculture Secretary William Dar welcomes this favorable development, that puts into flesh the recommendation of the IATF Task Group on Food Security to maintain the unhampered movement of food products from the farms and fishing areas to major consumption centers, particularly in Metro Manila. These include products such as pork from Mindanao, where there is surplus, that should be shipped regularly to Luzon and Visayas and thus ease up the tight supply and stabilize prices for the benefit of consumers,” ani Reyes.