SRA to address concerns on “other sugar” clearance
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has vowed to address concerns raised by industry stakeholders about the proposed imposition of import clearance fees on “other” types of sugar.
SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the regulatory agency had drafted the order aimed at monitoring and gathering data on the volume of “other sugar” entering the archipelago. This is targeted to be released before the year ends.
Other sugar alternatives refer to chemically pure lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose, among others.
Azcona said the sugar board and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. would meet with concerned industry players “to clarify the issues” surrounding the proposal.
He reiterated that the rationale for the order was not to regulate the importation of sugar alternatives.
“It’s usually manufacturers, food and beverage that have concerns. Initially they thought… they’ve been using it for a long time, bakit ngayon lang iko-control (why control it now?) Yung sinasabi namin… (We said) we’re not here to control,” he said.
“We just need to explain to them the purpose and the very purpose of our order is to gather data actually. We came up with that order because we were made aware of the significant volume of other [sugar products] arriving in the country,” he told reporters.
Azcona also said other players had already asked if they could apply for import clearance and pay the fees.
The SRA estimated about 200,000 to 300,000 metric tons of “other sugar” products were coming to the country per year. But the SRA chief said data may not be accurate.
