By EUGENE ADIONG
TALISAY City — Domestic sugar consumption in the country is increasing as the summer season intensifies, said Ma. Regina Martin, administrator of Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
Martin said the intense heat led to an increase in the sales of soft drinks, which have high sugar content.
The sugar consumption increase could be due to curbed sugar smuggling, too, she said in the Kapihan forum conducted by the Peace and Equity Foundation on Wednesday.
Even with the consumption increase, the country will have enough supply of sugar and will not need to import, she said.
Should domestic supply drop, she said, sugar allocated for the world market can always be converted for domestic consumption.
As of April 20 this year, the Philippines has produced 2,294,719 metric tons (MT) of raw sugar, Martin said, citing SRA records.
She said the country is now 97.36 percent to its target of 2.356 million MT.
Meanwhile, Martin said the SRA has built 29 sugarcane block farms in the country and plans to create 68 more.
She said the SRA hired 100 additional agriculturists and engineers on a contractual basis for six months to fast-track the creation and success of block farms./PN
