Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday said she is supporting the calls of 93 leaders in the sugar industry to revamp the current officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and Sugar Board following the continuous plummeting of prices of local sugar because of Sugar Order No. 8.
Pablo Luis Azcona is the current administrator and chief executive officer of the SRA.
Further, Senator Marcos warned that the over-importation of sugar could kill the local industry, as well as the livelihood of thousands of ‘sakadas’ (sugar farmers).
Under the order, the SRA would raise sugar importation to 424,000 metric tons from the originally recommended 150,000 metric tons.
As a result, consumers are now choosing imported sugar because it is 40 to 50 percent cheaper than local sugar.
“Due to the oversupply of imported sugar, its price is really low, and because people want to get cheap, they prefer to buy imported,” said Marcos.
Earlier, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) said demand for locally produced refined sugar tamed even if there was a surge in output.
Data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said refined sugar output increased by 7.06 percent to 554,608.65 metric tons (MT) or 11.092 million 50-kilo bags, versus 518,034.5 MT or 10.36 million bags produced last year.
Further, she said the situation should not be ignored because the direct livelihood of farmers and workers is at stake.
Due to excessive imports, the price at the mill gate is falling, and local producers are forced to sell at a loss, she said.
Also based on sector data, it is estimated that the total loss in the sugar industry due to the price drop is more than P12 billion, which includes an estimated P7.5 billion in economic damage in the Negros region.
"We should not be importing to the detriment of our own products and the farmers who make them. We ourselves are killing the sugar industry," Marcos stressed.
