Smugglers, who facilitate the illegal entry of imported sugar comingled with illegal drugs, should be arrested and prosecuted by law enforcement agencies, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Ma. Regina Martin, said yesterday.

The Sugar Alliance of the Philippines had earlier called on the government for action against the smuggling of sugar, which is often comingled with drugs.

Martin said this only goes to show how strong the partnership between SRA and non-government organizations is, and that they have one goal, and that is to protect the sugar industry.

Martin added that they will strengthen their cooperation with the Bureau of Customs and other non-government organizations to curb sugar smuggling although SRA records showed that sugar smuggling has been reduced.

She attributed the reduction of sugar smuggling to the continued reduction of the price of local sugar.

On Wednesday, Manuel Lamata, President of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines said their intelligence reports on drugs being comingled with sugar shipments was confirmed by a recent raid in Davao City that led to the death of seven suspected drug traders.

Smuggled rice, high-grade shabu and about 60 sacks of sugar were seized during a raid in Davao led by the police and Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last week.

Lamata said the entry of smuggled sugar into the country could cause the collapse of the sugar industry noting that smuggled sugar sells at P800 to P900 per Lkg, while Philippine produced sugar sells at about P1,530.

Meanwhile, the sugar industry has recovered from the devastation brought by super typhoon Yolanda last year that resulted in P1,210,969,409 of losses, representing 931,514.93 Lkg of sugar, or 2.79 percent of the country's production, Martin said.

Martin said Negros Occidental was not affected much, but SRA needed to aid the areas of northern Panay, Cebu and Ormoc.

Two sugar mills – the Bogo-Medellin Milling Co. Inc. in Cebu and Ormoc Sugar Co. in Ormoc City, Leyte – were damaged and will not be able to resume milling for some time.*APN

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