Govt weighs options on imported Thai sugar

The government is in a dilemma whether to buy or not to buy sugar from Thailand, because of reports that the Philippines' Southeast Asian neighbor and No. 1 supplier of the commodity is experiencing its own supply problems, Sugar Board member Archimedes Amarra said over the weekend. “Thailand is buying in the spot market whatever it has sold previously. We can source from Brazil but the shipment will take time – at least 42 days – before it will arrive in the country," Amarra said. Amarra, who is also executive director of the Philippine Sugar Millers Association Inc., noted that the government would further assess the situation to come up with a recommendation next week. “I was told that the SRA [Sugar Regulatory Administration] is adamant to bring in sugar as soon as possible. The shipment should be in before August 30, which is the start of the new crop year," he said. Bernardo Trebol, administrator of the industry regulator, said that his agency wanted to make final the plan for a sugar tender in the coming weeks since the SRA would be adopting the same guidelines in previous tenders this year. —VS, GMANews.TV