Under PBBM’s guidance

THE Department of Agriculture (DA), under the guidance of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM), said it is set to import 150,000 Metric Tons of sugar under the “Sugar Import Program” of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

DA-SRA cited the more than 154,000 MT gap in local sugar supply to be considered in coming out with Sugar Order (SO) No. 2 or the Sugar Import Program for Crop Year 2022-2023.

SO No. 2 aims to stabilize the domestic sugar supply and prices at reasonable levels.

The program covers a maximum volume of 150,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar, wherein 75,000 MT will be allocated to industrial users and the other 75,000 MT to consumers.

“The intention is that the imported sugar shall be open and available for consumption by all industrial users and consumers,” the Order states.

And with the approval of President Marcos Jr., as Agriculture Secretary and SRA board chair, the import program, according to DA, shall be open to qualified SRA International Sugar Traders.

Applicants for importation and allocation are required to commit that they will purchase an equal volume of locally produced refined sugar as the volume of imported sugar that may be allocated to them through the program.

Should they purchase locally produced raw sugar, the conversion shall be on a 1:1.2 basis.

Moreover, participants in the program shall ensure that their allocated volumes shall arrive in the country no later than November 15, 2022.

On the other hand, the deadline for the complete distribution of their import allocations to respective clients for industrial use and/or direct consumption shall be within a month from the said date, while the deadline for their purchase of local sugar shall be on August 31, 2023.

Meanwhile, the imported sugar shall only be stored in DA-SRA-registered warehouses or directly in the declared industrial user’s or consumers’ warehouse.

The Sugar Order also involves a performance bond that shall be released upon submission of proof of the required local sugar purchase. It states that every import allocation shall be subject to a bond of P750 per 50-kilogram bag.

For violations or non-compliance to DA-SRA orders, resolutions, and circulars, the bond shall be forfeited in favor of DA-SRA. It shall then be allocated to finance fertilizer subsidy programs and other development programs for sugarcane farmers. By Joel Dela Torre and Cory Martinez