• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Confederation of Sugarcane Producers’ Associations (CONFED) have expressed concern on the lack of consultation on the plans of the government to import 200,000 metric tons of refined sugar.
In a letter addressed to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., CONFED president Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. said that based on the report of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) dated June 9, it indicated an adequate sugar inventory levels of both raw at 436,229 metric tons (MT) and refined at 492,985 MT.
Current rates of withdrawal indicate that local inventory can last without importation until the start of the milling season later this year, Valderrama said.
He also pointed out that the SRA has not yet announced the official start of milling season for crop year 2024-2025 and no crop estimates have yet been made for the new crop year, which has been affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
With these concerns, CONFED is asking the SRA to begin consulting with the industry to discuss sugar policy for the next crop year, Valderrama said.
“Consistent with our frequently-stated position, we reiterate that any sugar importation plan should be data-based, calibrated, totally transparent and fair, done in consultation with industry stakeholders and therefore, immune from speculation and manipulation,” he added.
Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), maintained his position that “importation should only be the last resort.”
“We should import sugar only when it is absolutely necessary,” Rojas said in a statement.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona earlier explained that the program being referred to by Laurel is Sugar Order (SO) No. 2, or the pre-qualification of possible importers by having them pre-qualify by buying “local farmer sugar first.”
Azcona said that SO2 increased the farmers’ price to a stable P2,700 to P2,800 per bag of raw sugar, which also stabilized retail refined prices at P73 to P100 per kilogram. | GB
