TUBLAY, Benguet – The lucrative chicken dung trade is back in the different parts of the municipality following the implementation of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Benguet to allow farmers to have easy access to the organic fertilizer to boost the vegetable production in different areas of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao.
However, Mayor Armando Lauro pointed out that chicken dung traders are required to comply with the stringent guidelines governing the resumption of their operations that include the wearing of face masks by their employees and buyers, the observance of physical distancing in the reading area, provision of foot bath, alcohol and sanitizers and the dis-infection of the area from time to time.
Further, he disclosed that chicken dung traders have been required to cover the trucks loaded with chicken dung to prevent these from being exposed as part of the health and sanitation protocols crafted for the pursuit of the lucrative business activity in the municipality.
The municipal chief executive reported that a monitoring team composed of representatives from the different offices of the municipal government will be conducting regular inspections of the chicken dung trading areas to ascertain the compliance of the traders to the prescribed guidelines governing the resumption of their operations.
According to him, chicken dung traders not complying to the agreed rules and regulations will be meted the appropriate penalties ranging from the issuance of verbal and written warnings, imposition of fines, suspension of their business permits, or the eventual revocation of the same if they are found to be perennial violators of the guidelines.
Mayor Lauro admitted farmers had difficulty of accessing their supply of chicken dung during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because the chicken dung trade was one of the businesses forced to close for approximately two months to help in the government’s fight against the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019.
He assured the resumption of the chicken dung trade will be done gradually similar to the other businesses allowed to operate under GCQ to avoid the entry of infected individuals from other areas with confirmed COVID cases who might spread the deadly virus in the municipality.
According to him, the income of the municipality from the chicken dung trade had been significantly affected with the forced stoppage of the business activity for two months, thus, farmers had to have the delivery of the chicken dung directly to their farms thus increasing their costs of production.
Lauro called on the chicken dung traders to comply with the prescribed guidelines for the resumption of their operations as it is the only way to ensure the observance of health and safety protocols to prevent the occurrence of any untoward incident that will ruin the gains of the municipality during the ECQ implementation where the locality remains to be COVID-free primarily due to the cooperation of the residents to the policies enforced for the said purpose.
By Hent
