The Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc. (CONFED) has issued an urgent appeal to the Department of Agriculture, calling for immediate government intervention to shield the local sugar industry from the “crushing economic impact” of the Middle East conflict.
In a letter dated Thursday, March 5, addressed to Agriculture Secretary and Sugar Board Chairman Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., CONFED President Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. said fuel and fertilizer prices are already rising as a result of the current conflict in the Middle East between the US, Israel and Iran.
The letter was received by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA)on Friday.
“If not controlled, this will have a disastrous impact on food production and overall agricultural output, with already beleaguered farmers absorbing the hardest hit,” Valderrama said.
Valderrama appealed to Laurel to take up the cudgels for the agriculture sector through the following proposed interventions:
- Department of Agriculture (DA)/SRA expanded fertilizer assistance or subsidy for small farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries;
- A DA lobby for a government-imposed fuel and fertilizer price control to prevent profiteering or unreasonable price hikes that will increase agricultural production costs and lead to food inflation; and
- The implementation of its r previously proposed “Purchase-and-Park” sugar buying program.
“The first two measures are intended to help farmers in general, while the government-financed sugar buying program is proposed as the only real source of relief for sugar producers who continue to suffer from depressed millgate prices”, Valderrama said.
CONFED again offers to join a Technical Working Group (TWG) to work on the implementing details of the program, Valderrama said.*
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