The Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) supports the call of local food processors and manufacturers for sectoral representation in the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board through the Sugar Consultative Assembly (SCA).
“The SCA is a forum where SRA consults the industry on its programs and projects particularly those under the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA). It is made up of various groups in the sugar industry such as farmers, millers, refiners, sugar workers, block farm representatives and traders. Industrial consumers and local food processors and manufacturers should be part of the council. We shall ask the SRA to include them in the SCA,” said Cocoy Barrera, PSMA executive director.
The SCA was created as part of the implementing rules and regulations of the SIDA which aims to help the sugar industry to be competitive by allotting a yearly fund of P2 billion starting 2016.
Meanwhile, on the issue of high local sugar prices for food exports, Barrerasaidfood processors or exporters can import sugar tariff-free as long as the sugar shall be strictly used as raw material for sugar-based products for export and not for sale to the domestic market.
“SRA has this program and quite a number of our local food processors and exporters are participating in it,” Barrera added.
Earlier this week, the SRA said prices of refined sugar will start to stabilize next month and could hover from P70 to P80 per kilogram by November.
By November, all sugar refineries will be running at full operations and the 150,000 metric tons of imported sugar will have arrived, said David Alba, SRA administrator.
Based on the Department of Agriculture’s monitoring of 13 public markets in the National Capital Region, prevailing retail prices as of yesterday stood at P95 per kg for refined sugar, P75 per kg for washed sugar and P70 per kg for brown sugar.
The SRA millsite monitoring showed that composite price of raw sugar as of September 4 was at P3,021.04 per 50 kg bag, up by almost 7 percent from P2,824.18 per 50 kg bag in August 28.
