• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., president of Negros Association of Chief Executives (ACE), is pushing for the institutionalization of policy in sugar importation ahead of the public consultation on the sugar industry in the province on Jan. 23.
Escalante welcomed the holding of public consultation being facilitated by Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez.
“While there is a positive development implemented by the Sugar Regulatory Administration in addressing the plummeting of millgate sugar prices, it is best if policies in the sugar importation should be institutionalized,” he added.
The millgate prices of sugar plunged to as low as P2,100 per 50-kilogram bag, from a peak of P3,000 in previous milling seasons.
Some stakeholders in the sugar industry blamed the steep decline in millgate sugar prices to over importations in the past crop years.
“While the initial price of sugar remains steady, its buying price went down. It affects the farmers,” Escalante said.
Meanwhile, Benitez said the public consultation on Jan. 23 will be led by Quezon First District Rep. Mark Enverga for the House of Representatives and Senator Francis Pangilinan for the Senate.
Benitez filed a resolution calling for a joint House-Senate inquiry into the condition of the sugar industry.
The lawmaker said that holding the consultation in Negros Occidental is significant as it allows lawmakers to directly hear the concerns of sugar farmers and industry stakeholders in one of the country’s major sugar-producing provinces.
He added that the dialogue aims to help address pressing issues and support efforts to strengthen the local sugar industry.
Escalante said he is optimistic on the involvement of Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate committee on agriculture, since he is more focused on institutionalizing policies.
“In the importation of sugar, there should be parameters to meet before it triggers importation proceedings,” he added. | GB
