• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sugar Regulatory Administration yesterday strongly disputed claims of an oversupply of sugar, which is blamed for the drop in sugar prices, and slammed critics for propagating lies.
Sugar stock levels have been constant in the past couple of months and claims from certain groups that there is an oversupply of sugar that purportedly caused a drop in sugar prices is laced with malice, unless it is their goal to announce oversupply to purposely try and lower prices, for reasons they only know, said Pablo Luis Azcona, Sugar Regulatory Administrator.
In a statement, Azcona decried the presumption of the Sugar Council and National Congress of Unions in the Sugarcane Industry (NACUSIP) that the recent joint announcement made by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) that no importation will happen until post-harvest, was intended to curb the drop in mill gate prices.
“There was no other intention for that announcement other than stand by our mandate to be transparent and keep the stakeholders informed, and the Sugar Council would have known that if they attend stakeholders meetings being called by the DA and SRA instead of propagating lies through the media, to cause separation and instability within the industry,” Azcona said.
In a joint statement issued earlier, the Sugar Council, composed of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Incorporated (CONFED), and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Inc. (PANAYFED), said that the statement issued by DA and SRA was apparently meant to allay fears that more importation would cause a further drop in sugar prices.
I used to have respect for those so-called sugar leaders, who I thought were my friends since childhood, and I’ve always reiterated that I am a phone call away. However, they would rather bring their concerns before the media to further destabilize the industry, then send a letter after the fact, and that does not sit well with me, Azcona said in a statement issued on Monday.
He explained that the announcement of no importation until the end of harvest, which is sometime on May or June, depending on harvest circumstances, was simply an announcement for stakeholders, and nothing more.
Their opinion that it was meant to curb prices is their own opinion based on their skewed perception, Azcona further said.
“All of the SRA and DA’s plans are discussed in stakeholder meetings led by DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, the last of which was August 6, but just like in other instances, the Sugar Council snubbed this meeting,” he recalled.
Azcona reiterated that stocks of raw and refined sugar are at the proper levels, maintaining the needed buffers.
“As of November 10, 2024, our production of sugar is down by 61 percent, and we have prepared for this with the proper buffer supply, and as to their claims of over supply for both raw and refined sugar, we are currently 35-37 percent below the levels recorded last year,” he further said.
If the so-called Sugar Council wants to be informed of the plans and policies of the sugar industry, they should be attending consultative meetings, instead of propagating false claims. It is also part of SRA’s charter that we have no hand in marketing and pricing of sugar, and this is known to all sugar stakeholders as well, Azcona further said.*
