Following the appointment of a new planters’ representative to the Board of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, three planters federations, representing 57.48 percent of sugar production in the country, thanked Aurelio “Bodie” Valderrama, Jr., erstwhile planters’ representative to the SRA Board and reiterated their confidence in his integrity.
“We thank Mr. Valderrama for his forthright and selfless service to the sugar industry during his brief stint in the SRA,” stated Enrique D. Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP); Raymond M. Montinola, president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers (Confed); and Danilo A. Abelita, president of the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (Panayfed).
“In signing Sugar Order No. 4, Mr. Valderrama followed SRA’s mandate of ensuring stable sugar supply for consumers and maintaining sugar prices fair to both consumers and producers. He acted in good faith, and he based his decision on historical and official SRA data, after proper consultations with stakeholders and by following long-established processes of the SRA,” the three federation presidents further said.
The SRA passed Sugar Order No. 4, allowing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar, to address the country’s looming sugar shortage from August to October, when sugar mills are either not yet operational or have just started milling. During this period, domestic sugar supply relies on stock balances from the previous crop year and from early sugar production, which is not sufficient to cover the average monthly demand.
The shortage was keenly felt by consumers at grocery stores and supermarkets, where retail prices of refined sugar reached an unprecedented P100 per kilo because of the supply shortage. Even industrial users, like softdrinks manufacturers, and institutional users like bakeries and pastry manufacturers, have been complaining of the lack of sugar supply.
Consultations were conducted with planters’ federations and other producers, and after studying the production figures presented by the SRA, all stakeholders agreed on the need to import 300,000MT of sugar. Thus, SRA issued Sugar Order No. 4, but the sugar order was invalidated by Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. However, the President later announced he was amenable to the importation of 150,000 mt of sugar.
“The President’s decision to import 150,000 mt of sugar is a step in the right direction, as well as his appointment of a new SRA Administrator and two Board Members so that SRA can resume its normal functions,” the sugar leaders stated.
“We welcome the new SRA officers and we wish them well. We hope they maintain the consultative nature of decision-making at SRA. Moreover, we hope they will closely monitor the sugar supply and demand situation, and will make the necessary decisions, including the possibility of additional importation, to ensure stable sugar supply and fair sugar prices for both consumers and producers,” they further said in their press release.*
