• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The 17 percent tariff set to be imposed on Philippine exports to the United States is expected to have a significant and drastic impact on the sugar industry, stakeholders said.
At present, the Philippines exports raw sugar to the US with zero tariff, said Negros Occidental 5th District Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo.
Yulo, a former representative of sugar planters to the Sugar Regulatory Administration board, said that with the tariff, cost for traders will increase by 17 percent making it no longer profitable for exporters.
However, he noted that the tariff will have no direct effect on the local market.
Sharing Yulo’s sentiments, Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED), described the 17 percent tariff as excessive.
He suggested that if exporting to the US becomes unprofitable, traders may consider selling sugar to the global market, which they already have access to.
He also confirmed that the Philippines is scheduled to ship 30,000 metric tons of raw sugar to the US next month.
On Thursday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro downplayed the potential impact of the tariff, describing it as “very minimal.”
“We believe in the strong US-Philippines alliance, so the imposition of the 17 percent was probably a result of a study by the US government. We are accepting it, and whatever its impact, we have to respond to it appropriately,” Castro said. | GB
