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This was the assertion of sugar trade stakeholders in response to Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo Serafica’s assertion that the difficulty on sugar importation has change into “very political” after a draft proposal of Sugar Order 4 (SO4) was made identified to the general public.
Former SRA board member lawyer Dino Yulo stated Serafica is “clearly lacking the purpose,” stating that there is no such thing as a politics concerned in our opposition to SO4, however the survival of the sugar trade.
“Clearly amidst the prevailing circumstances whereby fertilizers and gasoline prices are hovering, Serafica shouldn’t anticipate planters to take these sitting down particularly when it is extremely clear that the brand new sugar order will profit a selected sector, on this case, the economic customers and the bottlers’ group,” he stated in a press release Tuesday, April 12.
Stakeholders claimed that SO4 seeks to import 350,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar.
Of the amount, 250,000 MT will likely be refined sugar, 150,000 MT of premium grade or bottlers’ grade refined sugar, and the remaining 100,000 MT will likely be uncooked sugar.
Yulo stated “any trace of sugar importation rumor, particularly in such amount and allocation, is vulnerable to a value drop as evidenced within the earlier launch of Sugar Order No. 3 which happily was halted by the courts.”
The planter defined {that a} week earlier than SO3 was issued, there was an instantaneous value drop of P30 to 40 per bag of sugar.
When it was revealed, “the drop in sugar costs ranged between P150-200 per 50-kilo bag,” he added.
SRA Board Member lawyer Rolly Beltran, who has not signed the draft proposal, additionally questioned why the importation program is being restricted to a selected class of importers.
“Why not make the importation program all inclusive? Why not permit the most important stakeholders to take part within the importation program relatively than to a choose few, favouring a selected class of importers to the unfairness of the sugar trade in addition to the economic system typically,” Beltran requested.
He added that, “it’s my place that the sugar importation program ought to be made obtainable equitably to main stakeholders and to profit the sari-sari shops, moist markets, groceries, supermarkets, and the like. These are the weak sectors of our society which can be principally affected by the rising costs of sugar.”
Enrique Tayo, of the Negros Occidental Federation of Farmers Affiliation, the opposite group that filed a case in opposition to the earlier sugar order, stated “there may be nothing political in our transfer to query the draft SO4 as a result of our claims are factual and have authorized foundation, and no such political concerns.”
Yulo additionally reiterated that the planters haven’t any qualms about importation.
“Nevertheless it shouldn’t be unique to industrial customers and have to be justifiable to dispel doubts. Serafica shouldn’t use prevailing costs affecting home shoppers as a smokescreen when they’re clearly not going to straight profit from this new sugar order,” Yulo stated.
“He [Serafica] ought to make the importation all inclusive and permit stakeholders to take part within the importation program relatively than making it unique to a selected sector to the unfairness of nearly all of stakeholders,” he added. (PR)
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