SAVE the Sugar Industry Movement(Save-Sim) urged the National Government to consider the potential consequences of sugar import liberalization scheme policy and provide solutions that would balance the economic growth with the welfare of those dependent on the sugar industry.
Wennie Sancho, Save-Sim convenor, said the continued decrease in the millgate prices of sugar due to sugar import liberalization scheme poses a significant threat to the sugar industry in Negros Island Region and nationwide.
"Its implementation without adequate safeguards could lead to the collapse of the sugar industry causing widespread economic displacement affecting hundreds of thousands of sugar workers and their families," he said.
He added that timely intervention is crucial to mitigate the potential harm and ensure the industry's sustainable.
Sancho cited key considerations include the assessment of its impact on local economies, supporting affected workers and their families and exploring measures to enhance the industry's competitiveness.
Sancho said addressing these concerns proactively can help safeguard the livelihood of those involved in the sugar sector.
"We respectfully request for a comprehensive review and collaborative effort to address the challenge posed by the sugar import liberalization scheme, prioritizing the welfare of the sugar workers and their families," he said.
Sancho also urged all stakeholders of the sugar industry to speak with one voice.
"In solidarity, we should vehemently express our opposition to the unrestricted entry of imported and subsidized sugar. It would be disastrous. It could lead to the death of the local sugar production and the collapse of the sugar industry," Sancho added.
Meanwhile, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona also countered that it was a blatant lie.
Azcona said in a statement that he does not know where Sancho is getting his information or misinformation from or “probably just a figment of his imagination.”
However, he cautioned Sancho and others to be more accurate with his/their statements as “others might construe it as true and these types of claims can agitate an already volatile market.”
“We, in Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), have been prudent in our pronouncements as there are already so-called sugar leaders who have sabotaged our efforts to mitigate the drop in sugar prices. Yet, here is Sancho, who never even bothered to get accurate information from SRA, issuing negative statements that further fuel an already hurting sugar industry,” Azcona said.
He said he does not want to dignify Sancho’s claims, however, some industry stakeholders advised him to dispute Sancho's lies as these have been published in news media already without verification.
"Sancho made assertions regarding unrestricted entry of imported and subsidized sugar. My challenge to him is to provide us with the basis of these claims so we too in SRA may be informed of such," he added.
Azcona noted that SRA will welcome a comprehensive review if indeed there exists a sugar liberalization scheme.
"The last liberalization move was in 2016 or such, and the industry fought it squarely, so it did not happen. This is a thing of the past. It is clear this person thrives on misinformation and destabilization," Azcona said.
He said SRA, along with the Department of Agriculture, have been conducting dialogue with sugar industry stakeholders, including the traders, on how they can help sugar planters who have suffered enough from the devastation of successive natural disasters and are suffering more because of the low sugar prices.
Unfortunately, Azcona admitted that it is frustrating that there are industry stakeholders who are bent on sabotaging tgeir efforts.
"Worse, these so-called sugar leaders are asking the President and the National Government to start buying sugar to help the farmers and yet are quick to criticize government in a blink" Azcona said.
He said the downtrend in sugar prices is not just caused by one factor. However, it is definitely not because of the claims of those who do not have anything good to say about government that they allowed over importation of sugar.
He added that he welcomes the congressional inquiry on the matter so that they can put on record what are the facts and the factors that may have been causing this low price of sugar because no matter how many dialogues and meetings they do with some sugar stakeholders, they are hard of hearing and accepting the facts other than their own.
The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters earlier expressed full support on the move of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc. (Confed) asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to have concrete measures to raise domestic sugar and molasses prices. (MAP)