By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr., said the government needs to tighten its campaign against sugar smuggling and address the problem of the entry of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in order to minimize the effect of excess supply before the coming crop year.
In a press conference yesterday, the governor explained the move will help the sugar industry with the effect of the excise tax on sugar-sweetened products. However, Marañon said the tax will only have a minimal effect on the sugar industry.
Apprehensions on the future of the sugar industry mounted after sugar leaders revealed there was an excess supply of about 700,000 metric tons of locally-produced sugar as the milling season for this crop year comes to a close./WDJ