THE Planters Association of Southern Negros Inc. (Pason) has lauded the recent appointment of Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. as member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board representing the planters by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Pason is the biggest planters association of the Biscom Milling District with a membership of 95 percent small sugar farmers. It is an independent and non-aligned association.

Its president Luis Garingalao, in a statement, said they “strongly believes that Mr. Valderrama is well-qualified for the position as he is a hands-on sugar farmer because of his long years of experience in the sugar industry.

“He is very much acquainted with the problems besetting the sugar farmers, particularly teh small ones,” he said.

Pason also expressed confidence that Valderrama will do a very good job in espousing the interest of the sugar farmers in the SRA Board, especially in these critical times when the farmers are facing multiple challenges resulting from the prohibited rising cost of inputs such as fertilizers, fuel, spare parts, cost of labor, shortage of labor and the erratic weather conditions causing the big drop of sugar production last crop year. (EPN with PR)