By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
A group of sugar producers has recommended the importation of a “more conservative” volume of sugar, compared to the initial plan of 450,000 metric tons (MT) proposed by the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, Jr., president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CONFED), said they submitted a letter to the SRA last week, and cautioned them to stagger the volume of importation, so as not negatively affect mill gate sugar prices in the current milling season.
Valderrama said their letter was a response to an earlier call from the SRA for local sugar groups to submit their own recommendations regarding the request for importation from soft drink manufacturers.
The CONFED head said the SRA submitted the data on the pre-final crop estimate, and the raw and refined sugar supply and demand projection for the crop year 2022-2023.
However, Valderrama pointed out the SRA had not submitted its draft program for the volume and schedule of arrival of the proposed imported 450,000 MT of refined sugar.
The group replied to the SRA’s data, recommending a more conservative imported sugar volume, and urged them to institutionalize an orderly sugar policy mechanism by establishing “trigger points” which will signal the need for consultations with the sugar industry to determine the appropriate policy.
Earlier, both Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer supported the proposed importation of sugar, although they pointed out that it should only be done during the off-milling season.
Lacson further stated that careful planning must be made as to how much sugar should be imported, and the timing of the entry of the imports to avoid smuggling, as well as to avoid jeopardizing local sugar producers.
Meanwhile, the local group Save the Sugar Industry Movement opposed the proposed sugar importation, and warned that the unregulated entry of subsidized imported sugar would be disastrous to the local sugar industry as it could bring grave injustice and irreparable damage and losses to the local sugar industry.
The group lead convenor Wennie Sancho said 90 percent of the sugar farmers are agrarian reform beneficiaries who have soldiered on planting sugar even without receiving support from the government.
“If imported sugar will flood the market, sugar farm workers will have their ‘tiempo muerto’ not only for three months but for a lifetime,” he said.
Sancho said the government should be more aggressive in pursuing unscrupulous sugar traders, hoarders and profiteers rather than importing sugar./DGB, WDJ