BIZ BUZZ: No point in bickering
For Sugar Regulatory Administrator (SRA) head Pablo Luis Azcona, debating about the merits of sugar importation is passé.
“I think tapos na iyan, ‘yung issue ng imported [sugar]. Nangyari iyon last crop year pa (I think the issue about imported sugar is already settled. Imported sugar arrived in the last crop year),” he told reporters.
Azcona explained that the country’s inventory has remained stable, even though sugar production started slowly as the El Niño-induced dry spell largely affected yields.
To get a clearer picture of the actual supply, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the SRA decided to defer any importation plan until the end of the harvest season next year.
Since then, the government’s pronouncement and assurances regarding stability of supply have divided the sugar industry.
One group, in particular, got “so excited,” expressing gratitude to the DA and SRA, only to retract their statement of support later.
