Carla P. Gomez (Visayan Daily Star) | https://goo.gl/DCJ4HJ
January 18, 2017
Sugar industry stakeholders yesterday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to halt the entry of imported high fructose corn syrup into the country, which they said is damaging to the health and could lead to the demise of the domestic sugar industry.
They also reiterated their protests against softdrink firms allegedly using HFCS as a substitute for sugar, at a press conference in Bacolod City.
Archie Baribar, Kilusang Pagbabago – Negros Island Region head, said they are calling on President Duterte and the Sugar Regulatory Administration to stop the importation of HFCS, the entry of which into the country “means economic sabotage”.
Baribar said the presence of sugar and labor leaders at the press conference yesterday shows that they belong to a movement of all stakeholders in the sugar industry.
“We will also involve Congress, we are anticipating that their might be a congressional hearing on this matter…we want this issue to be brought up by the congressmen of Negros Occidental,” he added.
United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines president Manuel Lamata said the entry of HFCS will cause the Philippines sugar industry to lose P25 billion in crop year 2016-2017.
The losses will be caused by the unabated entry of HFCS, he said, pointing out that 200,030 metric tons has been imported, he added.
National Federation of Sugarcane Planters president Enrique Rojas said they want the importation of the HFCS into the country to be stopped because its damage would be huge, “the industry will just die.”
Imported HFCS that has entered the country represents one-fourth of the of domestic production, it will affect 6 million Filipinos directly and 4 million indirectly, we have to do something about it immediately, he added.
Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations president Francis de la Rama also warned of the dangers of the entry of HFCS.
The sugar leaders said the rampant and unabated importation of HFCS has driven down domestic sugar prices from a high of more than P1,800 per 50-kilobag at the start of the milling season in September to less that P1,500 per Lkg in the last week of December 2016,
It is anticipated to reach as low as P1,200 per Lkg if nothing is done to stop or at least strictly implement the importation of HFCS, they said.
Also present at the press conference were labor leaders Wennie Sancho, Hernani Braza and Ranee Lava.
Sancho said a looming crisis has descended upon the sugar industry with the entry of HFCS that if not stopped will cause irreparable damage.
The collapse of the sugar industry would intensify the suffering of the poor toiling masses , he said, and lead to social unrest.
“Let us join hands in the spirit of solidarity to take legal and extra legal actions to immediately stop the importation of HFCS,” he said.*CPG