DA to pursue plan to import 150,000 metric tons of sugar
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will push through with its plan to import 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar, Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said Monday.
At the House Committee on Appropriations hearing, Panganiban said the 150,000 MT of sugar to be imported will provide more than enough supply from September to November.
“That will be more than sufficient for the September, October, and November season. The amount that we have to need in 2023 has to be properly looked at by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA),” Panganiban said.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman earlier asked Panganiban if the 150,000 MT of sugar to be imported would be enough since the shortage was actually 600,000 MT.
“I think the recent announcement that the 150,000 MT will be imported as given the go-signal by the President is still short of what we need. Is that correct?” Lagman said.
He cited data that showed that the country needed 2.4 million MT yearly but the local production was only 1.8 million MT.
Lagman also asked Panganiban: “In the aborted import of 300,000 MT of sugar, who were the persons or enterprises authorized to import?”
He was referring to Sugar Order No.4 signed by SRA officials.
Panganiban said, “That, I do not know.” Lagman insisted that Panganiban had the details.
“I think the Senior Undersecretary should know. You must have the details. May we know who are these people who are authorized to import 300,000 MT?” he said.
Panganiban later promised to send a list from the SRA of the authorized sugar importers of the 150,000 MT and the 300,000 MT of sugar.
“The Sugar Regulatory Administration is now preparing... who will be authorized by the government to import,” he told the hearing.
Lagman asked for both lists to find out if the people authorized to import 150,000 MT of sugar were the same people who were supposedly authorized to import 300,000 MT.
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin also requested the DA for the authorized sugar importers in the past five years so that the committee could determine if they were “regular players” in the sugar industry.
Lagman then asked: “What is the mix of the 150,000 MT of sugar to be imported?”
“It will be for the local market consumption, Your Honor. Of the 150,000 MT, 75,000 will be going to the (beverage) industry and 75,000 will be going to the local,” Panganiban responded.
Panganiban also said at the House budget deliberations that he does not agree with allowing all qualified individuals or enterprises to keep importing sugar even if there would be a tariff imposed to protect local producers.
“Since 150,000 MT is a small amount compared to the 600,000 or 700,000 MT that had been import in the previous years, I doubt whether we could allow all to import. We have to probably select,” he said.
According to Panganiban, under the leadership of SRA Administrator David Alba, only companies that are part of the trade sector, like beverage companies, will be allowed to import their supply of sugar while private companies for the local market will have to undergo public bidding. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
