Planters ask SRA to explain sugar importation
BACOLOD
CITY, Feb. 9 (PNA) - Planters belonging to the United Farmers of Negros
South Inc. (UNIFARMS) are asking Sugar Regulatory Administration chair
Rafael Coscolluela to “take a stand” with regard sugar importation.
Last
week, Malacañang issued Executive Order No. 857 which the government,
through the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority
(NFA), pushed to import 60,000 metric tons of sugar on April 30 and
90,000 metric tons by June.
UNIFARMS
president and Hinigaran Vice Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo said there is no
need for the country to import sugar because there is no sugar shortage
in the country.
“SRA
should come out with a statement of what is his stand on sugar
importation. Did the government come up with the decision based on SRA
recommendation?” asked Arceo.
He also said that the SRA should dig deeper into the situation about the soaring prices of sugar in the country.
“Look
who is responsible for this, he should compel the traders not to hoard
and penalties must be imposed by the government against hoarders,”
stressed Arceo.
He said that Coscolluela should have explained to the government that there are enough stocks of sugar at this time.
In
fact during the opening of the milling season, we have D Sugar or
Export of Excess Sugar, which SRA allocated, said Arceo, adding that
SRA has estimated a surplus for the sugar stocks.
If
we continue with the importation, Arceo said, the country would be
flooded with sugar in the coming 2010 to 2011 milling period.
We are in a very awkward situation, he said.
This coming milling period, the local production of sugar is expected to increase as against this year's.
“What’s
strange with the government and the SRA is that they have not
intervened into the situation when in the previous years, the prices of
fertilizers were too high for the sugar producers. But now, when it is
only this year that the planters enjoy good prices of sugar, they
immediately intervened into the situation,” Arceo lamented. (PNA)
LAP/GMDelaCruz/vlo
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