ILOILO – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expedite the release of national government assistance to sugar farmers.
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the SP unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by 3rd District Provincial Board member Matt Palabrica seeking the promptly implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10659, or the Sugar Industry Development Act, providing subsidies to sugar farmers and tapping all available unshipped export sugar before resorting to importation.
“ SRA (must) realize the need to tap all available unshipped export sugar to augment the supply of sugar instead of resorting to importation, which the public at large knows benefits the favored traders of the old SRA board,” read part of the resolution.
Palabrica said despite two successive sugar importations under Sugar Order No. 3 (Series of 2021-2022) covering 200,000 metric tons, and 150,000 metric tons under Sugar Order No. 2 (Series of 2022-2033), sugar prices in the country has not stabilized.
Vice Gov. Christine Garin and all board members present served as resolution co-sponsors.
A copy of the resolution will also be furnished to Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator David Alba.
It added, “By all indications, there is no chance that the projected level of production for the current crop year 2022-2023 of only 1.876 million metric tons will improve, even with the approaching peak harvest season.”
The board member added that sugar farmers receive reports of the soon-to-be-implemented import program of the SRA.
“Structural reform in the sugar industry cannot conceivably be achieved if the current SRA board will continue with the regulatory practices of the former SRA board that were characterized by the unabated allocation of export sugar, despite the incontrovertible fact that the sugar domestic consumption requirements of the country far exceed the level of production; the importation of sugar to augment supply; and, worst of all, the importation of sugar to restore the deficit caused by the forced allocation of sugar to sugar farmers, despite the shortage situation,” the resolution stated.
For the board member, it is about time that the national government addresses the plight of sugar farmers by giving substance to the legislative intent of Congress under RA 10659 to provide subsidies to sugar farmers to increase their productivity./PN
