• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sugar Regulatory Administration has been urged to present clear, timely and comprehensive information on its intention to export 100,000 metric tons of sugar to the United States, as it is yet to publish the sugar order that will govern its export of a significant volume.
The Department of Agriculture has announced its approval of SRA’s plan to export 100,000 metric tons of Philippine sugar to serve the US quota for 2026, “in an effort to reduce domestic raw sugar supply, which was a result of last crop’s 130,000-ton increase in production, and help lift sagging farmgate prices.”
The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry in the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) and its allied organizations, in a statement said that the lack of public disclosure raises questions about transparency and stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process.
Given the volatility of global sugar prices and the potential for losses in export transactions, NACUSIP-TUCP national president Roland de la Cruz asked who will bear the financial burden if the export program results in losses.
“If government is willing to subsidize the financial impact on this band-aid solution, why should not the government allocate funds for the government-financed domestic sugar buying program, which they and other stakeholders have been endorsing,” De la Cruz said.
Why rush to implement a Sugar Export Program more than a week before the scheduled Congressional-Senate consultation on the current sugar industry issues on January 23, he also asked.
Pending the release of an appropriate Sugar Order which will provide the missing details, Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, CONFED president, in a statement said they are reiterating their position that an export program should not be accompanied by an automatic import replenishment program.
Any future importation to cover domestic shortfalls should be subject to clearly defined guidelines, particularly in terms of volume, timing, implementation mechanics, and stakeholder consultations, Valderrama added.
Elisama Gregorio, chairperson of the NACUSIP Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Council, said that earlier intervention could have alleviated some of the hardships faced by those who rely on this industry for their livelihood.
“We also call on the Land Bank of the Philippines to issue a moratorium on penalties, interests and other charges on loans incurred by agrarian reform beneficiaries and their organizations as the current slump of sugar prices will be impossible for the small farmers and ARBO’s to comply with loan repayments,” Gregorio added.*
