Philippines Steps Up Food Sufficiency Measures Amid Lockdown

30 Mar 2020, 02:48 PM IST

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines identified additional measures to ensure sufficient food supply amid a month-long lockdown of the country’s main island of Luzon as it tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

The government plans to import 300,000 metric tons of rice, if necessary, through state deals with Southeast Asian partners, or through sources such as India and Pakistan, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a video bulletin posted on Facebook. The country is also allocating 31 billion pesos ($608 million) for food sufficiency efforts, he said.

Finance, trade, and agriculture officials will work with the country’s trading partners within Southeast Asia and “encourage them to refrain from imposing trade restrictive measures to ensure that existing supply contracts are prioritized,” he said.

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Companies involved in food production and distribution may operate at a maximum of 50% of their respective workforce while the community quarantine is in place, he said. Law enforcers are directed to allow the unimpeded movement of food-supply workers, subject to strict social-distancing requirements. Farming and fishing will also continue.

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Other Measures:

All importers, consignees, shipping lines and concerned regulators including the customs bureau are directed to remove their refrigerated containers that are piling up in ports to allow new deliveries of essential goods such as food and medicine
A technical working group must come out with detailed recommendations in the rebuilding of consumer and business confidence and the resumption of a new normal state of economic activities including strategic stockpiling
Local government units are directed to identify government facilities that may be converted into isolation or quarantine facilities
Health facilities must seek patients’ consents before any public disclosure of names if they tested positive for the virus