The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) took offense to the recent statement of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), stating that the no sugar importation declaration until the end of the harvest season was “misleading.”
“I hope NFSP will be able to substantiate their claims, as this kind of accusation shows how warped and distorted their state of mind is,” SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in a statement.
“It’s funny that I even sent a letter of thanks for NFSP’s support to our initial announcement,” Azcona said, adding that he will not retract the statement as “it was done in good faith.”
Earlier, NFSP president Enrique Rojas said they retracted the initial statement of support of the no importation pronouncement issued by SRA and the Department of Agriculture.
Rojas claimed that SRA was not “totally candid” in their pronouncements for failing to mention a previous importation, that the sugar agency said it “came in when it is all there in the figures they claimed was their basis for their accusations.”
“I’d like to believe I still have some modicum of respect for Mr. Rojas despite this accusation because clearly, and upon his own admission, he sent out this retraction and claims after he was convinced by certain individual/s who have irrational and persistent distrust of others in a group he belongs to,” Azcona said.
“I just hope that [Rojas] should at least study the figures to get his facts straight, and so he does not come out laughable,” the SRA head added.
Azcona assures sugar groups that there was no oversupply of sugar, as they carefully studied the figures that the Sugar Council used, revealing that as of October 20, the raw sugar production was down by 73.46 percent and the raw sugar stock was down by 31.26 percent.
Refined sugar production was also down by 97.77 percent, and refined sugar stock declined by 37.23 percent, including local and imported, he said.
“Respect begets respect, and while I have been very patient with these so-called sugar leaders, let me just state that it is clear they are nothing else but consistent detractors of this administration,” Azcona said.
“No matter how pure your intentions are, no matter how much effort, dedication and sincerity you invest in performing the tasks that you have promised to undertake, it will still be unappreciated by people who have irrational and persistent distrust of others,” he further stated.
Meanwhile, Azcona said he felt sorry for Rojas, who was considered his friend.
“This shows how their leader can easily get swayed by others, particularly by one individual who probably has an even more clouded perception because this person got kicked in the past,” Azcona claimed.
He further stated that it is incumbent upon the SRA to explain the sugar importation to the farmers when they could easily have explained how these pronouncements arrived “if they did not snub the invitation for a stakeholders’ consultative meeting.”
“Even if they repeatedly snubbed invitations, I am sure they have been informed that during the August 6 meeting, refiners and mills’ representatives were asked if they could assure the government that they will have ample refined sugar by the end of November to ensure a balanced supply, and their answer was a collective no,” the SRA official said.
The refiners and mills even asked if they could import raw to refine, knowing how devastating the method would be to the sugar farmers.
“We said no to this option and agreed to import refined sugar already,” he also said in a statement.
“This was no secret, and they could have explained this to their planters-members if they care to be part of the discussion and decision-making policy. Otherwise, what’s the point of even representing their members who pay them dues to protect their interests?” Azcona added./WDJ