The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the sale in Kadiwa rolling centers of the 80,000 bags of sugar seized at the Batangas port last week.
David Alba, SRA administrator, said the Bureau of Customs led the seizure of about 4,000 metric tons of refined sugar worth P240 million from MV Sunward that came from Thailand.
Alba did not say how much the seized sugar stocks will be sold in rolling stores.
Sugar sold in Kadiwa stores last October was priced at P70 per kg and was provided by local millers.
Based on the Department of Agriculture’s monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, prevailing retail price of sugar as of yesterday ranged from P90 to P110 per kg for refined sugar, P85 to P95 per kg for washed and P80 to P95 per kg for brown.
SRA millsite monitoring showed composite price of raw sugar as of January 1 was at P3,217.94 per 50 kg bag.
Alba said smugglers will be dealt with “the full force of the law.”
The President on Sunday said the country will maintain a two-month buffer stock of sugar to avoid shortages in the future.
Meanwhile, Tugon Kabuhayan said the government should tap the private sector in stopping smuggling.
Citing BOC data as of December 2022, Tugon Kabuhayan said the value of apprehended and detected agricultural products smuggled into the country for 2022 reached P1.2 billion.
Jon Santos, Association of Fresh Fish Traders of the Philippines president, said in an online briefing on Monday private sector stakeholders facing the problems of smuggling every day, must be involved in the enforcement of anti-smuggling laws.
Asis Perez, Tugon Kabuhayan convenor, said the Department of Agriculture is set to file cases against suspected smugglers this week.
The group expressed support to the institutionalization of Assistant Secretary James Layug’s inspectorate and enforcement group in the DA.
Perez said smuggling of onions, rice, corn, sugar, carrots, fish, and pork has an immense impact not only on farmers and fisherfolk but on food security.
Leonardo Montemayor, Federation of Free Farmers chairman, said chronic smuggling of food products also threatens Filipino consumers, noting that animal and plant diseases that have plagued the country were most likely due to unregulated importation.
“The problem of smuggling is very widespread especially for the case of onions… With special attention to digitalization and electronic technology, we can help deter and intercept smuggling. On the prosecution side, all those intercepted must be immediately filed with charges,” Montemayor said.
Elias Jose Inciong, president of the United Broiler Raisers Association, said the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 and its provisions on data and quarantine, must be strictly enforced.
“The national information network, together with the inspection and quarantine system, can be used to interdict and combat smuggling and anti-fair trade. Until now, there are many misunderstandings because of wrong data. It is hard to locate the problem if there is no data. We need an information data system and inspection areas to combat smuggling,” Inciong said.
