Acting Administrator David Alba of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (center) and SRA board members Pablo Luis Azcona and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag at a press conference in Bacolod City Wednesday.*CPG photo
The new officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Wednesday, August 24, vowed to work to make the Philippines self-sufficient in sugar in three years.
SRA Acting Administrator David Alba and board members Pablo Luis Azcona and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag, who attended the opening of the 68th Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc. (Philsutech) annual national convention at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, announced their three-year goal at a press conference.
The marching order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is for the Philippines to be self-sufficient in sugar, which requires increasing production, Alba said.
The goal is to bring sugar production up to 2.5 million metric tons in three years, from the current 1.79 million MT, to be self-sufficient, Azcona said.
The country has been importing about 300,000MT of refined sugar for the past six years, he said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, in his speech at the Philsutech convention read for him by Rep. Emilio Yulo III (Neg. Occ., 5th District), said the industry produced 2.5 million metric tons before and it can do it again.
He told the industry leaders to do their best and he will help with the rest.
Zubiri said he has always been with the sugar industry in fighting for the rights and interest of local farmers and producers, especially against over-importation, high fructose corn syrup and liberalization.
He opposed Sugar Order No. 4 that would have allowed the importation of 300,000MT of sugar at the start of the milling season because it would have been simply too high considering the large balance from the old importation program, he said.
There is still a balance of 120,000 metric tons languishing in warehouses of industrial users, Zubiri said.
“Some of them even have the gall of telling the public that they are short of premium refined sugar when the records of the SRA show otherwise”, he said.
“Our priority should always be our own production, our own farmers, and our own food security. Importation should only be a last resort and not the first option,” Zubiri said.
Producers have suffered enough from the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs of fertilizer and fuel, and natural disasters, he said.
He said the Senate is conducting hearings to come out with a better understanding of how best to implement programs to improve the sugar industry.
Zubiri challenged the SRA board to make full use of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) funds for the improvement of the industry.
The SIDA requires the national government to allot P2 billion annually for the development of the sugar industry but the Department of Budget and Management has slashed the amount because of poor utilization by the SRA in the past, Alba said.
It was underutilized because the SRA has had no capacity to go through the red tape, he said.
One of their goals is how to get that P2 billion back, Alba said.
The DBM has allocated only P500 million for the industry for next year, Alba said.
Yulo said members of Congress will push for a larger amount.
Zubiri said he is prepared to push for stronger legislation for farmers and for the necessary budget for the implementation of agricultural programs and the provision of technical support, loans and subsidies.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, who also spoke at the convention, said to boost production focus on innovation and the acquisition of new technology platforms is of the essence.
“Philsutech has always been at the forefront of introducing innovative sugarcane farming technology and techniques. As we are in a time of great challenge, and also of great possibilities, may this national convention enable you to accomplish the advancement we need, and further our collective goal to sustain and uplift our sugar industry and the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos depending on it,” he said.*