‘Junk sugar liberalization plan’

The proposed liberalization of the sugar industry will contradict the President’s thrust towards food security and will severely affect the entire agriculture sector.

Some in the legislature have asked President Duterte to thumb down the proposal to liberalize the sugar industry or risk the economic future of 20 provinces that make up the P70-billion industry.

The Senate issued a resolution on Tuesday urging the Executive branch to junk the proposed liberalization of the sugar industry.

The proposed liberalization of the sugar industry will contradict the President’s thrust towards food security and will severely affect the entire agriculture sector.

Opening up the industry to reforms and to foreign competition would be “the nail that would seal the coffin of the P70 billion sugar industry,” the Senate said.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Senate Resolution 213 seeks to protect the welfare of sugar farmers and other industry workers in more than 20 provinces in the country.

“I’m against sugar liberalization. Just like rice liberalization, there is no denying it has affected our farmers and we don’t want that to happen to the sugar industry,” Sen. Zubiri told reporters Tuesday.

Zubiri maintained the government should rethink the liberalization policy, saying there are other policies that should be pursued to improve the competitiveness of the industry and its downstream sectors such as food and beverage manufacturing.

He claimed some five million Filipinos in 20 provinces will directly and indirectly be affected by the planned liberalization.

Except Sen. Lito Lapid who is on official business abroad, and Sen. Leila de Lima who is detained, all senators signed the resolution which was swiftly adopted.

“The proposed liberalization of the sugar industry will contradict the President’s thrust towards food security and will severely affect the entire agriculture sector,” Zubiri said.

Earlier statements from the economic managers led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on sugar liberalization via the deregulation of imports and allowing sugar users to import the commodity directly has agitated industry stakeholders.

They claimed the deregulated entry of foreign and subsidized sugar in the market will be disastrous to the sugar industry which contributes an estimated P96 billion to the gross domestic product, particularly to 84,000 farmers.”