DA orders release of sugar supplies, hoping to curb price surge

The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered the release of 150,000 kilos of sugar, hoping that the supply increase would curb the sweetener’s recent price surge. Both the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and National Food Authority (NFA) were instructed to work with the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA), a group of producers, to facilitate the commodity’s delivery within the next few days, radio dzBB reported on Wednesday. The sugar will be sold in NFA’s Metro Manila outlets in the coming days, the report added, citing Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap. "Ang pinag-uusapan, ang NFA maging isang conduit para magbenta ng asukal na manggagaling din sa sugar millers," NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said in an interview on dzBB radio. (The NFA will become a conduit to sell sugar that will come from local sugar millers.) The NFA will likely limit its role to buying and distributing sugar at low prices through its "Tindahan Natin" outlets. He also discounted the possibility of the NFA importing sugar at this time, despite a past executive order that allowed it to do so. “Mukhang this time di ganyan ang mangyayari... Tingnan natin ang situation ng sugar millers bago tayo makialam doon," he added. (Importing sugar does not seem to be the case. Besides we have to see the situation of sugar millers before acting). However, the NFA – which is also tasked to sell rice at lower than market prices – is still waiting for sugar stocks, Estoperez said. “We have not received any stocks yet. We are still waiting for everything to be finalized before we can start selling," said Estoperez. The DA also ordered the importation of another 150,000 metric tons of sugar at zero tariff through the NFA’s tax expenditure subsidy (TES) “to ensure sufficient buffer stock at the end of the sugar milling season," as published in the SRA website. “We are waiting for the Executive Order that will authorize NFA to undertake the sugar importation," Yap said in the report. The NFA has yet to receive an Executive Order regarding the matter, as of posting time. Group calls for sugar price cap In the meantime, militant group Gabriela called on the government to put a price cap on sugar to prevent overpricing. The government should “start doing something" about escalating sugar prices to prevent a surge, militant group Gabriela, through its National Capital Region head Sheila Ferrer, said in a separate radio dzBB report. Ferrer criticized the government for setting the price at the P48-P50-level “one week, then let[ting] it rise to P60 the next week." For his part, SRA chief Rafael Coscolluela admitted that the agency “cannot impose sugar prices" and force producers to sell below than market rates. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS)’ reported a prevailing price of P52.00 on refined sugar and P 44.00 per kilo on raw or brown sugar as of January 23. - GMANews.TV