The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) president Roland de la Cruz expressed alarm over the recent policy pronouncement of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to import 200,000 metric tons of sugar contained in its Sugar Order No. 3.
“Sugar importation especially at the height of the milling season will have a serious and debilitating effect on local producers, especially small farm cultivators such as agrarian reform beneficiaries, small planters and sugar field workers”, de la Cruz said Friday, February 11.
This call is to support the growing clamor of major sugar producers and planters’ associations calling for SRA to reconsider its policy on the importation of 200,000 metric tons of sugar at the height of this crop year’s milling season, he said.
“Whenever prices of domestic sugar are affected caused by excessive sugar importation and high cost of production, including the current expensive prices of fertilizers, those who do not have enough cash reserves and credit access such as ARB farmers and small farm cultivators will be the biggest losers. Sugar industry farm employers will likewise downsize and limit sugar producing activities that will affect the incomes of sugar farm workers as well”, de la Cruz added.
De la Cruz also thanked Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan for coming out against the sugar importation by SRA amidst the ongoing milling season in his campaign speech Thursday in Balayan, Batangas, which is a sugar producing area in Batangas as well as the host to the Universal Robina Corporation Sugar and Renewables sugar mill.*