Sugar producers win TRO vs SRA importation order

MANILA, Philippines – Sugar producers on Tuesday, February 15, announced they have won a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s order allowing the importation of 200,000 metric tons of standard and bottler’s grade refined sugar.

Sagay City regional trial court executive judge Reginald M. Fuentebella on February 11 granted the TRO petition filed by Rural Sugar Planters Association, Inc, a member group of the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED).

UNIFED officials took receipt of the TRO in their Quezon City office on February 15.

The planters’ group immediately followed on their temporary win against SRA Order No 3 (2022) with a call for  President Rodrigo Duterte to fire SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica.

UNIFED board member Paul Azcon read federation president Manuel Lamata’s call for the firing of Serafica in a statement. Lamata had earlier called on the SRA head to resign.

Serafica is a planter himself, and a former member of UNIFED. 

“SRA pushed us to the wall, thus the filing of this TRO,”  said Joseph Sarrosa, a UNIFED board member.

“Since last year, we have been appealing to SRA, the DA and other government agencies to help us with the high price of farm inputs, whether through a price freeze or subsidies, but nothing came through.” Sarrosa added.

Roberto Cuenca, head of the Asociacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra Inc. (AALCPI), the country’s largest sugar federation with over 10,000 mostly small planter-members on Monday, February 14, said, “SRA released SO3 knowing that we are in the peak of the milling season and this led to the drop of prices.”

Serafica had cited “the shortfall on the ending balance of refined sugar and the need to stabilize prices.”

Lamata dismissed Serafica’s explanation.

“The sugar order does not directly address the so-called complaints of these vendors as half of the imported supply will go to bottling companies. That alone sends an alarm that something fishy is going on,” said Lamata.

“Is he under pressure from these multinational companies that have been feeding off our people and yet, could not give back to our farmers? Instead, they’d rather buy imported sugar than patronize the hands that feed them,” he added.

Sugar producers have long been at odds with manufacturers of soda and other drinks who import their sugar needs.

Manufacturers complain about high local sugar prices. Producers say they are at a disadvantage because the Philippine government has liberalized the flow of farm inputs and does not provide subsidies to cushion the blow on farmers.

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who belongs to a clan of sugar producers, filed on February 14 a draft resolution seeking a probe into the agriculture department’s importation orders that end up hurting local farmers. Zubiri said the pattern extended beyond sugar.

He also said legislators should investigate why calls for subsidies and price freeze on farm inputs have landed on deaf ears at national levels.- Rappler.com