• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday said “it has been a good year for the sugar industry,” under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., noting the high prices of sugar.
Lacson said that the price of raw sugar is holding at an average of more than P3,000 per 50 kilogram bag, amid the threat of imported sugar that has been approved by government.
We’re hoping that the prices will be maintained at that level, he said.
While there are many questions with regards to importation, the bottom line is can we expect the same prices as we have in the first year of the present administration? The governor asked.
The Sugar Council, representing thousands of sugarcane farmers from three planters’ federations, had asked the Sugar Regulatory Administration to reconsider starting the milling season on August instead of September, stressing that delaying the harvest will cause the sugarcane to become over ripe, compromising purity and tonnage.
In reaction to the request of the Sugar Council, former SRA board member turned Rep. Emilio Yulo III advised the SRA to go down to the level of sugar planters, and explain what is a good milling practice, to ensure maximum sugar productivity.
I think the SRA should go down to explain why we need to return to that old milling period, Yulo said.
With problems including the reduction of areas planted by sugarcane, which is down from 430,000 hectares to 390,000 hectares, he stressed the need to compensate with maximized productivity.
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez yesterday said he wants the SRA to explain why despite the importation of sugar, market prices are still high up to this time.
It may affect the mill gate price of sugar during the opening of the milling season, Benitez said.
“We want to see the justification why, but I suspect there is a process and a gap between mill gate prices and consumer price that needs to be looked up why the price management system of SRA, which is still lacking in terms of effectivity,” Benitez said.*
