A sugar stakeholders meeting is set Wednesday, August 10, to discuss the suggested retail price for sugar, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica said Tuesday, August 9.
He said the online meeting will be held with Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista.
The meeting has been called by the DA as retail prices of refined sugar breached the P100 mark per kilo.
President Ferdinand Marcos, who is also concurrent agriculture secretary, has approved the importation of at least 300,000 metric tons of sugar to prevent a shortage in supply and to help bring down retail prices.
Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said there is a shortage of sugar and the retail price has gone up so the importation is a good move before the milling season goes full blast.
He was informed that the sugar importation will be done on a staggered basis, and when the country has enough supply it will be halted, Ferrer said.
The president does not want to import sugar if it is not needed, he said.
The president wants to improve sugar mills and support planters to increase sugar productivity, Ferrer added.
Rep. Emilio Yulo III (Neg. Occ., 5th District) said importation should be carefully studied so it will not affect domestic millgate prices with the start of milling.
Low sugar productivity and high production costs need to be addressed, Yulo said.*