PHL may export sugar to Asian market

The Philippines may soon be exporting sugar to the Asian market due to higher than expected production, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said Monday. Sugar Administrator Regina Martin said no specific volume has yet been set but the SRA would be glad to entertain interested takers. Martin also chairs the Sugar Board and is expected to issue a sugar order once she returns from the 39th International Standardization Organization meeting in Tanzania. The possible volume for exports will be added on top of the additional US quota that the SRA has already imposed. Recently, the SRA asked for an additional quota allocation from the US because of local production surplus. In April, the US Department of Agriculture added 60,000 metric tons raw value (MTRV) to the existing 142,160 MTRV Philippine sugar quota because of a sugar shortage caused by a hard freeze in Florida. Early May, the SRA discussed the possibility of converting category “B" sugar into category “A" sugar, which is allocated for exportation to the US. — BC/VS, GMA News