FILE
BACOLOD CITY — The United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) supports the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to import 450,000 metric tons of refined sugar.
Unifed President Manuel Lamata on Thursday said they fully supported the decision of President Marcos to import refined sugar that would hopefully arrest runaway retail prices.
Sugar stakeholders were being consulted on the volume, which varies between 400,000-450,000 metric tons which to Unifed was “an acceptable volume for buffer stocks amidst speculation that there may be a shortage by the end of the milling season.”
Lamata urged SRA to “program well the releases of these imported sugar to ensure that millgate prices will not be drastically affected to the detriment of the sugar farmers.”
Unifed would leave formulating the guidelines and mechanics for importation to the discretion of the President and the SRA, he said.
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