There is enough sugar for the country, Federico Locsin III, national president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc., said in a CONFED press release.

Locsin asked the government to consider the plight of the sugar farmers, considering the high cost of inputs of previous years, compounded by composite prices that hovered just above production cost.

It is worth noting that the high cost of production forced farmers to cut back on inputs, resulting in lower yields in the last crop year.

Sugar Regulatory Administration board member Luis Tongoy, meanwhile, said in the press release that imported sugar will arrive during peak production periods, from Dec. 2009 to Jan. 2010, distorting the domestic supply and demand balance, leading to a collapse in sugar prices.

This is to the detriment of sugar farmers who are still reeling from their previous year’s losses.

Tongoy also cautioned the government that imported sugar will not come cheap as its refined produce will need to be priced in excess of P55/kg at the retailer’s level, the CONFED press release said.*

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