Statement: Proposal came about due to ‘perceived’ high sugar prices

The Visayan Bloc of the House of Representatives recently put out a press release affirming their opposition to the proposal to deregulate sugar importation.

“The Visayan Bloc members support the call [by] sugar industry stakeholders to review the proposed import liberalization,” the statement read.

The release also reiterated earlier points made by others who oppose the proposal, including the suggestion that sugar deregulation will “lead to the collapse of the industry.”

The statement specifically names Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Capiz, and Antique among the 28 provinces that have seen opposition raised against the proposal.

They also said the proposal came about as a resolution to “perceived” high prices of sugar.

However, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), despite 2018 fourth quarter agriculture numbers up, sugarcane production was in decline.

Based on their 4Q report, agriculture overall, which includes crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries, saw an increase of 1.8 percent; crops, in particular, saw a marginal 0.25 percent increase.

However, the report noted sugarcane production saw a 2.22 percent drop, noting a reduction in areas harvested in the Western Visayas./WDJ