The Sugar Council praised Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona for coming up with the program which benefits sugar farmers and for conducting consultations with all industry stakeholders before finalizing the sugar order for the said program.
“We laud Administrator Azcona for crafting a program which will protect us from price fluctuations during the peak of the harvest, for discussing with all stakeholders the proposed program, and for reiterating there will be no importation until May or June, when the harvest is finished,” the Sugar Council said in a statement.
The Sugar Council is composed of CONFED headed by Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., NFSP headed by Enrique Rojas, and PANAYFED led by Danilo Abelita.
The group referred to the consultation initiated by Azcona conducted January 21 at the SRA Bacolod Office, on the draft sugar order titled “Voluntary Purchase of Crop Year 2024-2025 Locally Produced Sugar for Reclassification to Reserve Sugar to Avail of Allocation for Future Import Program.”
The highlight of the program is the purchase by SRA registered traders, including planters’ groups, associations, and cooperatives, of a maximum of 300,000 metric tons of solely the planters share of locally produced sugar for Crop Year 2024-2025, on a first come, first served basis, in exchange for allocation for rights to future importation.
Sugar purchased under the program will be classified as “C” or “reserve” sugar for a period of not more than ninety days. The move aims to reduce the volume of available sugar in the domestic market during peak harvest months and thus help stabilize millgate sugar prices.
“Administrator Azcona’s program and the consultation he conducted translates to something positive for the sugar industry. We look forward to a brighter future for sugar farmers, and a more fruitful collaboration with Administrator Azcona in the future,” the Sugar Council added.*
