Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
BACOLOD CITY—Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry on the recent order of the Sugar Regulatory Administration allowing the importation of 200,000 metric tons of sugar even at the height of the harvest and milling season.
In Resolution No. 995 filed Feb. 14, Zubiri asked the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform should conduct the inquiry in aid of legislation.
The resolution also asked the committee to conduct an inquiry on the importation programs of the Department of Agriculture on other agricultural products to craft a policy that will ensure support for farmers and food security instead of import dependency.
“There is a need to provide a clear-cut government policy on importation during the harvest and milling season not just for sugar but for other agricultural products so as not to unnecessarily burden small and poor farmers,” Zubiri said.
The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has also passed a resolution expressing its objection to SRA Sugar Order No. 3.
“The timing of the sugar importation that coincides with the ongoing milling season will severely affect the income of sugar farmers who are reeling from the prohibitive cost of fertilizer and fuel,” the SP said.