Local sugar industry advocacy group Sugar Watch Philippines (SWP) recently expressed their opposition to the formal proposal by the Department of Finance pertaining to the implementation of sugar import liberalization.
SWP Secretary-General Wennie Sancho said, if approved, “It will be a matter of time before the imminent collapse of the sugar industry will take place.” He noted, the Sugar Regulatory Administration must be firm and consistent in their duties.
The sugar industry surrogate said the government agency must determine import approvals by how much it will impact the domestic producers.
SWP is calling for a variety of actions, from protest rallies to a dialogue with Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar along with the Negros Occidental congressional delegation./DGB, WDJ