NANGAKO si Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo Serafica kamakailan na bibigyan niya ng prayoridad ang kapakanan ng sugar farmers.
“As SRA Administrator, I will always look after the mandate of SRA, and as someone who was born and raised in the sugarcane industry. I will always look after the good of the industry particularly its farmers from which I am a part of,” pahayag ni Serafica.
“SRA is mandated to maintain a balance between sugar supply and demand that will ensure a price that is profitable to producers and fair to consumers,” dagdag pa niya.
Kamakailan lamang, nag-isyu ang Sugar Order (SO) No. 2 na pumapayag na mag-release ng 150,000 metric tons (MT), at dagdag na 138,600 MT ng imported sugar merkadong lokal.
Nag-isyu ang SRA ng SO para masiguro ang pananatili ng suplay ng asukal at mapanatili ang presyo nito sa merkado dahil na napipintong pagtataas sa demand ng raw at refined sugar, kasama pa ang mababang produksiyon ng domestic sugar lalo sa hindi panahon ng pagtatanim.
Binigyang-diin ni Serafica na ang SRA will “look into importation only when there is a need to augment the supply and this will always be studied thoroughly”.
“The mechanism, volume and timing are important factors to consider in any importation and will undergo exhaustive consultations with industry stakeholders,” sabi niya.
Lumabas ang pahayag ni Serafica isang araw matapos mag-isyu ang United Sugar Producers’ Federation of the Philippines Inc. (UNIFED) ng Board Resolution na nananawagan na palitan siya bilang SRA Administrator.
“Whereas, SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica no longer serves the sugar industry due to his no response on the sugar liberalization issue,” saad sa resolusyon.
Pero, binigyang-diin ni Serafica na magkakaroon lamang ng importasyon kung kinakailangan.
“SRA shall be focusing more to improve production and productivity to lessen, if not avoid importation,” sabi niya.
Nangako ang hepe ng SRA na laging makikinig sa stakeholders farmers, producers, millers, at ang industriya para maibigay ang demand ng end-users. PNAA