By CESAR JOLITO III
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) categorically denied claims that the government is pursuing sugar import liberalization, as the agency moved to counter statements warning of an impending collapse of the local sugar industry.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona described as “a blatant lie” allegations made by Save the Sugar Industry Movement (SAVE-SIM) convenor Wennie Sancho, who earlier claimed that liberalized sugar imports could cripple the industry.
Azcona said there is no existing policy allowing unrestricted entry of imported or subsidized sugar and challenged critics to substantiate their assertions.
“I do not know where these claims are coming from, or if they are simply imagined,” Azcona said, adding that unverified statements could further destabilize an already volatile sugar market.
He cautioned industry figures to be more responsible in their public pronouncements, noting that misinformation can worsen uncertainty among planters and traders.
Azcona said the SRA has been careful in issuing statements, especially as sugar prices continue to decline. He acknowledged frustration over what he described as attempts by some industry leaders to undermine government efforts to stabilize the sector.
“The industry has already suffered from successive natural disasters and now from low prices. Yet there are stakeholders who sabotage mitigation efforts while at the same time asking the national government to intervene and buy sugar,” he said.
The SRA chief stressed that the last attempt to liberalize sugar imports occurred nearly a decade ago and was successfully opposed by the industry.
“That issue is already in the past. There is no sugar import liberalization today,” Azcona said.
Overimportation?
According to the SRA, the current drop in sugar prices cannot be attributed to overimportation, as alleged by critics.
Azcona said price movements are driven by several factors and emphasized that claims of government-sanctioned overimportation are inaccurate.
He also revealed that the SRA, together with the Department of Agriculture, has been holding dialogues with various stakeholders, including traders, to explore measures that could help sugar planters cope with low prices.
Azcona said he supports calls for a congressional inquiry into the state of the sugar industry, saying it could help clarify the real causes of the price downturn.
“A formal inquiry will put the facts on record. Despite repeated consultations, some stakeholders remain unwilling to accept realities beyond their own narratives,” he said.
The SRA reiterated its commitment to protecting local sugar producers and called on industry groups to engage constructively, warning that unfounded claims could further harm an industry already under strain./CJ, WDJ