Sugar industry leaders yesterday assured Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) that they will come up with a thorough study to prepare the sugar industry for 2015, which they will present by the end of the month, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Ma. Regina Martin said yesterday.

The congressman met with the sugar industry leaders at the Natures Village Resort in Talisay to bare his willingness to come up with a legislation to assist the sugar industry, she said.

The sugar industry leaders expressed gratitude to the congressman for his offer and assured that they will come up with their study on how to protect the sugar industry, and enable it to compete and survive after 2015, Martin added.

“It’s a commitment that will have to come from each stakeholder to be able make sure that this industry will continue to be profitable beyond 2015,” she said, when tariffs on imported sugar are lifted in compliance with the ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement.

Part of that study will be whether such protection will need legislation or an executive order, she said

Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, said “We plan to do whatever it takes…we are totally against these countries who want to open up free trade, they are all liars they are highly, highly subsidized and we are not . We are going to fight that and protect our industry until they let go of their subsidies to level the playing field.”

He said they will come up with a collective study and sit down the congressman to come up with a bill.

Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, said he will abide with the decision of the various sugar groups, but is not in favor of the single selling of sugar.

“All of us agreed there will be no single selling,
he said.

Benitez said he has been hoping that the sugar industry groups move a little faster in coming up with a collective position and said if their study is submitted by the end of the month there will still be enough time for the passage of needed legislation before the 2013 polls.

“We’ve been talking about this for quite some time, they want to look at it from the holistic approach…tackling all the aspects of the industry,” he said.

The fear of a single selling body for sugar is because of the industry’s not very pleasant experience with it in the past, they are concerned about the transparency that will take place, Benitez said.

The industry leaders said they will consolidate the positions of the various groups and the interest of the majority will be kept, he added.

“There is still time to get the bill passed, I would rather we are all united by the time we go to Congress with the bill,” he said.

An executive order to address the needs of the sugar industry may not be enough that is why I am pushing for legislation, Benitez added.

Meanwhile, Martin announced that Jesus “Cocoy” Barrera will take his oath before President Benigno Aquino today as the mill representative on the sugar board in place or Archie Amara.*CPG

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