• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Pablo Luis Azcona on Thursday announced that the implementation of Sugar Order 6, which sets guidelines for the importation of certain sugars and sugar confectionery, has been suspended, pending further consultations with industry representatives.
In a statement, Azcona said the decision to suspend SO 6 was made during the January 23 meeting of the SRA Board, in response to concerns raised by stakeholders in the sugar industry.
He explained that the concerns had been communicated through letters to the Department of Agriculture and SRA, prompting the board to delay the order’s enforcement, until a dialogue with the affected parties could take place.
“We have received letters and are actively reaching out to set up meetings with the concerned groups,” Azcona said.
He further clarified that the DA had been tasked with facilitating these discussions to address the industry’s specific fears and concerns.
Two key issues were identified during the consultation process: concerns on processing delays and the associated costs of compliance.
Azcona reassured the industry that the SRA processes over a thousand sugar-related import clearances each year, with typical processing times averaging just two to three working days.
“We have been issuing import clearances for fructose under the same 1702 code since 2017, and there have been no reports of delays or disruptions to business operations,” he stated.
Regarding costs, Azcona said the processing fee for sugar imports under SO 6 is minimal—only 0.06 pesos per kilo, which represents about 0.08 percent of the total cost of importing other sugars.
To further streamline the process, he announced that SRA is set to launch an online portal for applications.
Azcona emphasized that the goal of SO 6 is to provide accurate data for better supply and demand planning, ultimately benefiting both local farmers and consumers.
“SRA and the DA are very careful that policies made do not affect the consumers as well,” he stressed.
“Again, their fears are unfounded, as these are all speculative at the moment, since the order has not been implemented yet, and we welcome the opportunity to sit with them and find solutions to their concerns”, Azcona further said.*
