Bureau of Customs file photo
The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) is standing firm against any further sugar importation at this stage of the crop year, with its president, Enrique D. Rojas, warning that additional volume would be “suicidal to the sugar industry.”
Rojas issued the statement on Tuesday, Oct. 7, while simultaneously condemning a news article in a national newspaper for what he termed as the “malicious use” and misrepresentation of an NFSP statement on importation.
He said a national newspaper published an article on October 3 erroneously suggesting that the NFSP deemed importation necessary solely because of crop damage caused by the red-striped soft scale insect.
Rojas said that the report made it appear the federation was giving unconditional support for sugar imports.
“That news report maliciously misrepresented NFSP’s statement,” Rojas said. “We have consistently opposed unbridled sugar importation, knowing that excessive importation has caused the decrease in sugar prices for the past crop years.”
He stressed that the NFSP has always called only for controlled importation, specifically regulating the volume and schedule of sugar arrival to prevent adverse effects on local prices.
Rojas said that the NFSP’s current opposition stems from concerns over the excessive volume already brought into the country under Sugar Order No. 8, Series of 2024-2025.
“In fact last week, we already communicated to the SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration) our concern regarding the excessive importation under Sugar Order No. 8,” he said.
Rojas said the NFSP had initially agreed to an importation volume of 150,000 metric tons. However, he noted that more than that volume had already entered the country as of September 14.
“With a huge projected stock balance and the excessive importation under Sugar Order No. 8, sugar prices will suffer in the early months of the milling season,” Rojas said.
“The NFSP categorically states that it is against any importation at this stage of the crop year”, he said.*