TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) – – The Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 2 has reiterated its call to all business owners of agricultural delivery trucks to register on the Foodlane Accreditation Program to avail themselves of the exemption of toll rate increases and rebates.
Regional Executive Director Dr. Rose Mary G. Aquino, in the latest episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, said that the program is a collaborative project of DA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the agri-food sector to institutionalize the way agricultural products are distributed, establishing a more efficient and seamless distribution system for agri-fishery products.
Aquino said that their Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division is continuously conducting accreditation of agricultural delivery truck owners in Region 2 to avail of the rebates.
“The AMAD is very busy now providing and facilitating accreditation of those truck owners because, once accredited, they will be receiving rebates retroactively since January. This will help farmers reduce their expenses, especially the owners of delivery trucks that transport their agricultural products in Metro Manila,” she said.
To qualify for the toll rate increase exemption, agri-trucks should apply first, be accredited by the Department of Agriculture (DA), and have valid Autosweep and/or Easytrip RFID accounts. Applicants must be duly registered and have no pending complaints filed against them. All livestock, poultry, and by-products haulers and traders must have a handler’s license and accreditation as pre-requisites for approval of foodlane accreditation.
Transport carrying livestock, poultry, and other products must be registered by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service before the approval of foodlane accreditation.
“To all those who want to apply to the program, our office is open for your application. Just contact the Research Centers and Experiment Stations specifically at their One Stop Action Centers for processing,” she added. (OTB/MDCT/PIA Cagayan)
