Confed admits mistake in not consulting members

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

During a recent dialogue hosted by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri surrounding Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol earlier announcing the country would be importing 300,000 metric tons of sugar, agrarian reform beneficiaries, small farmers, and sugar associations claimed “proper consultations” were not conducted with regard to the importation plans.

“We are not against importation and we have agreed to cooperate with the programs of the national government to curb inflation; however, we hope there is proper consultation on the matter and SRA (the Sugar Regulatory Administration) should provide us a basis for [this] needed importation,” Asociacion de Hacenderos de Silay-Saravia Inc. President Federico Locsin III said in a statement.

Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc. (Confed) National President Francis dela Rama admitted to making a “mistake” by not consulting their members.

“We did not agree on any amount,” he insisted. “What we agreed upon [was] to recognize the mandate given to SRA to import.”

Last week, the Hacienda Malaga Cuenca Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Macarben) informed Confed of their opposition to the matter, calling it a “massive importation of sugar.”

“We will experience [a] loss if sugar [prices] drop to P1,500/lkg (per 50-kilogram bag of sugar) and below, especially now, with [the] high cost of fuel,” Macarben Manager Pedro Ogatis said.

In addition, the Viscaya Agrarian Reform Cooperative expressed concerns of repaying loans.

Co-op chair Alberto Hilado said, with the implementation of sugar importation, “We will have trouble repaying our loans.”

“We may be forced to lease back our land to survive,” he added./DGB, WDJ