The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters lauded yesterday the issuance of the 20-day Temporary Restraining Order against Revenue Regulation No. 13-2013 of the Bureau of Internal Revenue that imposes Value-Added Tax on what sugar stakeholders consider raw sugar.

NFSP President Enrique Rojas said the TRO will give ample time for both sugarcane planters and the BIR to study the imposition of VAT on raw sugar.

Rojas said they were surprised when it was announced that BIR was already taxing raw sugar as the agency only used to tax refined sugar.

Hike in egg price expected

The price of eggs in Negros Occidental is expected to increase in one to two weeks time as an effect of super typhoon Yolanda, Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena, said yesterday.

Decena said the price of eggs in northern Negros Occidental, especially in Sagay City, has already increased by P1 while the rates in Bacolod City and other areas less affected by the typhoon remained at P4.50 to P6.50 depending on the size.

He said a large chunk of the egg supply in the province comes from Bantayan Island, that was badly hit by the typhoon last week.

DA-6 issues alert over
expensive commodities

In the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda in Western Visayas, the Department of Agriculture and Regional Food and Fishery Council are alerting consumers of possible high prices of food commodities in the coming weeks.

Ricardo Provido, chairman of Regional Agri-Fishery Council, said that high prices are expected in sugar, banana, mango, coconut, rice and aquaculture fish as the law of supply and demand dictates the prices of these food commodities.

Dr. Joyce Wendam reported the initial damages to the farming sector of Region 6 at P99.2 million in rice, corn, cassava, high value crops and livestock with P76 million damages to the rice crop alone.