Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he will ask the Sugar Regulatory Administration for a larger allocation of sugar to be sold at affordable rates in Bacolod City.
He said the sale of affordable sugar, which will eventually expand to other food products, will benefit residents and also help bring down the country’s inflation rate.
The Bacolod City government launched the SRA-DA Sugar Program through the City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office at the Bacolod City Government Center Monday morning, April 3, and the allocated 500 kilos was sold out by 10:30 a.m., CCLDO head Brenda Burdeos said.
Sugar was sold at P70 a kilo with each buyer allowed to purchase up to 2 kilos per household, she said.
Burdeos said refined white sugar sells at about P112 per kilo at commercial outlets.
Benitez said the sugar provided by the SRA
did not come from seized smuggled sugar, it came from Victorias Milling Company.
Bacolod needs about 4,000 Lkg bags of refined sugar a month for sale at affordable rates, Benitez said, adding that he will ask SRA how much supply it can provide the city.
The mayor said the sale will not be limited to affordable sugar, it will eventually cascade down to other food products, including rice.
“We all know that inflation is caused by high food prices, to control inflation we have to make sure that the prices of food do not go up,” he said.
The affordable food products will be sold at Kadiwa stores at the Libertad, Burgos and Central markets, Burdeos said.*