NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines – Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica said Tuesday that importing sugar is the best approach to combat the consequences of Typhoon Odette, which devastated most of Visayas and Mindanao in December 2021.

After two temporary restraining orders (TROs) were obtained by sugar growers associations in the Visayas, the proposal to import refined sugar was put on hold.

Serafica noted that Sugar Order No. 3, which was supposed to go into effect in March, will ensure that the beverage and confectionery industries have enough supplies to create their products.

The 200,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar that will be imported will be purchased by industrial users, with 100,000 MT of bottler’s grade refined sugar going to beverage companies and the remaining 100,000 MT going to food processors like confectionery producers.

“As an agency, we have to look at the big picture to balance domestic supply and make sure we have enough supply to provide food security and, as a result, price stability,” Serafica added.

He claimed that “Odette” wreaked havoc on refineries, forcing one to rebuild its warehouse and catch up on production to meet consumer demand.

“We lost about 20 to 21 days of processing,” he said.

During the briefing, DA spokesperson Noel Reyes also stated that importing sugar for industrial users will not result in a reduction in domestic supply for small customers.

On February 17, the Negros Occidental Federation of Farmers Associations acquired a 20-day TRO in Himamaylan City, while the Rural Sugar Planters Association Inc. received a similar order on February 14 in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Serafica has been accused of undermining the sugar business and using Typhoon Odette as a justification for the importation by the United Sugar Producers Federation, of which the Rural Sugar Planters Association is a member.

Senator Miguel Zubiri, a member of a Bukidnon sugar family, filed Resolution No. 995 on February 14 to have the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform investigate SRA’s scheme.

According to SRA data, raw sugar production was reduced to 2.072 million MT from 2.099 million MT in the Pre-Final Crop Estimate for the Crop Year 2021-2022, while refined sugar production was revised to 16.748 million LKg/TC (bags per ton cane) from 17.572 million LKg/TC before Typhoon Odette.

Serafica stated that on January 21, stakeholders in the sugar business met to discuss importation.

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