PH may reduce sugar importation in 2024, says DA chief

MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Tuesday said the Philippines wouldn’t need to import too much sugar next year under favorable weather conditions.

Laurel, during the Committee on Appointments’ Tuesday deliberations on his appointment as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, was asked by SAGIP Party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta if it is accurate that the Philippines would have to import about 500,000 metric tons of sugar in 2024. 

“Based on our estimates with [the] Sugar Regulatory Administration, which we’ve been meeting for the last two weeks, we feel that next year we don’t need to import too much sugar because this year, we’ve imported a little much that’s why there are many stocks now in the market,” said Laurel, partly in Filipino. 

He said that they may limit the importation of sugar to about 200,000 metric tons next year. 

“Ang assessment ng industry and ng DA with SRA, maybe conservatively, baka kailangan mag import mga 200,000 [metric tons] lang, assuming there are no adverse weather conditions that we face,” he explained. 

(The assessment of the industry and the DA with SRA, maybe conservatively, we may need to import only about 200,000 metric tons, assuming there are no adverse weather conditions.)

Marcoleta, however, advised Laurel to temper his expectations a little bit, noting that out of the 27 sugar mills that the country has, only about five are working efficiently. 

“Medyo inefficient po ang ating sugar mills, Mr. Secretary. Palagay ko po kailangan ma-audit yung ibang sugar mills kung bakit ganon kababa ang kanilang efficiency para sa ganon ay wag na po tayong mag-import ng sugar,” said Marcoleta. 

(Our sugar mills are a bit inefficient, Mr. Secretary. I think the other sugar mills need to be audited to find out why their efficiency is so low, so we could stop importing sugar.)

Laurel said the DA will heed the lawmaker’s call. 

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