Increase in sugar prices 'an opportunity for locals'

CURRENT hike in sugar price in Luzon stands to benefit small-scale alternative sugar producers in Visayas and Mindanao, said an agriculture industry officer on Tuesday.

The reason is that the small-scale producers are from the Visayas and Mindanao and there is now a growing acceptability for the healthier coco sugar.

The price hike leads to a higher demand of sugar in Luzon in a bid to bring down the price by flooding the market with supply, said Adolfo Canete president of Agriculture Development Board-Davao City (Agri-Davao), an organization under the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated.

"(In a price hike) apektado ang suppliers like in Visayas or Mindanao, as it does to any industry like hogs or piggery, talagang makikinabang tayo," Canete said at Kapihan sa SM media forum.

Canete said the price hike in cane sugar may open opportunities for small-scale sugar producers such as coco sugar.

"The trend here now is producing sugar from coco water. Mindanao is a coconut area naman so di tayo makukulangan ng supply diyan. Here, one kilo of coco sugar may cost P200 but in Luzon it's double that. (But this is an opportunity) we should welcome that," Canete said.

Canete, however, added that sugar producers should not take advantage of the price hike in Luzon.

"We will not object to an increase in transport cost but it should not be beyond what is a reasonable price. We should not take advantage of that because nahihirapan rin yung mga kapatid natin sa Luzon," Canete said.

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