BACOLOD City — The United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) president supports the importation of 150,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar proposed by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
Manuel Lamata announced his personal support to the import plan, diverging from the position of other sugar federations and millers group that back a sugar importation volume of 300,000 MT.
“Have these federations converted to being sugar traders?” asked Lamata, referring to the Confederation of Sugar Producers (CONFED), the National Federation of Sugar Planters (NFSP), PanayFed, and the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA).
“If 300,000 MT of imported sugar reach our country by November or December which is the peak of our milling season, millgate prices will collapse,” according to Lamata.
“Are these sugar groups still protecting the interests of their planters?” Lamata further asked.
He urged fellow planters to join them in UNIFED because they remain a pro-planter federation who will protect their livelihood and the interest of the sugar industry./PN
