Senator Imee Marcos emphasized the importance of supporting local sugar farmers over resorting to importation to address industry issues.
Marcos recently participated in the distribution of a P9-million Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to 3,000 residents of La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
During a press briefing after the financial aid distribution, Marcos advocated for strengthening farmer cooperatives and engaging traders to bolster local sugar farmers.
“Our goal is to really achieve a millgate price of P3,000 per 50-kilo bag,” she added.
Marcos noted the current sugar prices of P2,600 to P2,800 per kilo bag are suboptimal, affecting many farmers, particularly in the province where about 60 percent of the country’s sugar is produced.
“We need to address this issue. My instinct is to avoid importing sugar as much as possible and to buy local instead,” Marcos stated.
She recalled that despite the importation last May 2023, which saw retail sugar prices spike to P136 per kilo, the market price did not decrease.
“Even with imports, the price at the store does not drop. Let’s not automatically resort to importing; as much as possible, we should help our local farmers first,” she emphasized.
Marcos also highlighted the necessity for accurate data on sugar demand and production and the need for investment in modern machinery and training for farmers to learn new agricultural techniques using the latest technology. (Glazyl Masculino via The Daily Guardian)