By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson called on factions in the sugar industry to focus on addressing the declining price of sugar instead of engaging in public disputes.
Lacson urged the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and leaders of various sugar federations to set aside their differences and work together to stabilize sugar prices.
“If this continues, it will affect the economy of Negros,” he said during a press briefing at his office on Thursday.
The governor noted that most sugar planters are perplexed by the ongoing decline in sugar prices.
Earlier, the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) accused traders of allegedly manipulating prices by hoarding low-cost sugar to inflate its value.
Meanwhile, the Sugar Council, composed of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc., Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, and the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP), also pressed the SRA for an explanation regarding the price drop.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona denied claims of a sugar oversupply and dismissed it as the reason for declining mill-gate prices.
“I am hoping that the players from each sugar federation will sit down, set aside differences, and try to solve the problem of the very low prices of sugar,” Lacson said.
In Congress, Negros Occidental 5th District Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo called for an investigation into the drop in mill-gate sugar prices during a privilege speech.
Yulo stated that “despite the low supply and steady demand for sugar, the industry faces low and declining sugar mill-gate prices.”
“This defies any logical explanation and contradicts the fundamental principle of supply and demand,” he added.
The lawmaker said his call for an investigation has been referred to the Committee on Rules.
“Our plan, with Abang Lingkod Partylist Representative Stephen Paduano, is to include sugar in the Joint Committee Hearing on Food Security,” Yulo said.
