• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The proposed plan of the Department of Agriculture to import at least 200,000 metric tons of refined sugar in September this year, garnered opposing views from various groups of sugarcane farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. disclosed on Wednesday plans to import sugar, apparently aimed at ensuring a stable supply and preventing price hikes in the retail market.
“Dapat by September, may arrival tayo (By September we should have an arrival), at least 200,000 (metric) tons, refined, for the gap before harvest and refining,” he said.
Laurel said the DA will finalize its sugar order in the second week of July, since current sugar stocks are expected to drop in August.
The agriculture chief assured that the move underwent consultations with stakeholders.
In a statement, Pablo Luis Azcona, Sugar Regulatory Administration head, explained that the program being referred by Secretary Tiu is Sugar Order #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 farmer’s price to a stable P2,700 to P2,800/bag of raw sugar, which also stabilized retail refined prices at P73 to P100/kg.
The program pre-qualified an import volume of almost 200,000 tons of refined sugar and was planned in January, and formally signed on March 8 this year.
We have pre-qualified and pre-allocated, based on their actual support for the local farmers, Azcona said.
As we stated previously, we will activate an import plan, should the trigger stock level be reached, to ensure a stable supply and stable price, for our retail and industrial consumers, as well as to ensure that our farmers will not be affected, he said.
Azcona added that the five million farmers, farm workers, their families, and people dependent on the sugarcane industry, are also 100 percent retail consumers.
He added that they are scheduled to meet with Secretary Laurel in the first week of July to discuss and update him the stock levels, and to determine when to activate the plans.
The DA proposal has the support of United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) President Manuel Lamata.
“This will fill in the shortage before harvest season starts in September. Harvest this coming crop year will be delayed due to El Niño, and when we were consulted about this matter, we approved the proposal,” Lamata said in a statement.
However, 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.
“We need to verify the actual sugar stocks, including the remaining volume of the previous importations, the projected production at the start of the next milling season, before we finalize the actual volume and authorize any importation,” he stressed.
We should also ensure that the trigger point on actual sugar stock levels will be reached before we import, and most importantly, the arrival of the imported sugar should be calibrated and properly scheduled so that it will not depress millgate prices at the start of the next milling season, Rojas further said.* with PNA report
