BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The proposal of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to import 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar despite a deficit in local supply has been rejected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., according to Press Secretary Trixie Cruz- Angeles.
Marcos is the concurrent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, making him chairperson of the Sugar Regulatory Board.
Cruz-Angeles issued the statement following reports that Marcos supposedly approved the proposal.
“He (Marcos) is the chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Board and denied this in no uncertain terms,” she added.
Retail prices of sugar are currently beyond P100 per kilogram in wet markets and grocery stores, which are traditionally at around P50 per kilo.
Several sugar planters groups are opposing the importation of sugar, blaming the lack of supply on hoarding by traders in order to justify the importation.
While he acknowledged that the Philippines has not been producing sufficient palay (rice), corn, livestock, and fish, Marcos, however said he wants the government to cut down food imports to the barest minimum.
He added that the importation will be done not as a price stabilization measure, but “a strategic food supply measure.” * with report from PNA
