• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The mounting clamor for the Sugar Regulatory Administration to immediately address sharp decline in prices of sugar continues to snowball, as Negros Island lawmakers also urged SRA to issue a transparent and data-based explanation on the reason behind the price collapse.
Recent reports show that the millgate price for sugar plunged to about P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag, a level nearly P300 below the estimated production cost, said a joint statement issued by 10 NIR solons.
Industry leaders warn that if unchecked, such price collapse could worsen poverty in rural sugar districts, where more than 60 percent of households depend on sugarcane, as either principal or supplementary income.
The Negros solons want SRA to explain the reasons behind the sudden price collapse, including the effects of recent importation, pest infestations, and shifts in market demand.
They also called on relevant agencies and stakeholders to act with urgency and accountability to cushion the blow of collapsing sugar prices and restore stability to the industry.
With Negros Occidental as the country’s top sugar producing province, accounting for nearly half of total national output, the solons said the decline in prices could ripple through thousands of families dependent on the crop for income and employment.
The 10 lawmakers are Negros Occidental Representatives Julio Ledesma IV, Alfredo Maranon III, Javier Miguel Benitez, Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Jeffrey Ferrer, Emilio Bernardino Yulo III, and Mercedes Alvarez, as well as Negros Oriental Reps. Emmanuel Iway, Maisa Sagarbarria, and Janice Degamo.*
