BACOLOD CITY — Member-planters of the Confederation of Sugar Producers (CONFED) in Negros Occidental have begun the direct-selling of lower priced sugar to provincial consumers over the weekend.
CONFED, the country’s biggest group of sugar producers, on Saturday announced the move, which is being implemented under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Malasakit Program, as their contribution to avert rising inflation.
This came following the Negrense farmers’ recent dialogue with Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief, Hermenegildo Serafica, in Talisay City.
“(I’m) hoping that this gesture would be replicated by all sugar producers in the country,” Serafica said in a statement.
The La Carlota Mill District Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the Associacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra in La Carlota City are selling washed or premium raw sugar at only PHP45 per kg.
The retail price of sugar of the same quality is between PHP48 and PHP56 in Negros Occidental.
Nicolas Ledesma, president of CONFED Negros, said in a statement they will propose to their national office to also implement direct-selling in other sugar districts nationwide.
“This, as part of our share in helping this government that has also helped us in the past two years when the sugar industry was beset with problems, particularly on the entry of high fructose corn syrup,” he added.
Ledesma, however, said their sugar produce will be retailed only to local consumers who will buy directly from their associations and cooperatives on a per-kg. basis to avoid abuse by other retailers who may capitalize on the lower prices.
“This will solely be under the DA’s Malasakit Program and will only be for a minimum volume, which will be repacked directly by member-associations on a per-kg basis,” he added. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
