Bacolod City: The president’s recent green signal to import 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar has been welcomed by some while objected to by others, reports Manila Times.
Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of Philippines (Unifed) said that he welcomes the government’s decision to import more sugar to keep a check on rising retail prices of the commodity.
“Harvesting season is over and we should import sugar to bring down prices. This will not affect farmers and is good for consumers,” he said.
While on the other hand, the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) has asked the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to release the data about sugar produced in the country, inventory and projected demand before the issuance of any sugar order for importation.
NFSP president Enrique Rojas said the SRA should disclose this information to sugar federations that are responsible for sugar production in the country.
“We should get details about our current production, inventory including the importation of 440,000 MT and what our projected consumption apart from the projected shortfall at the end of the crop year,” said Rojas.
