The Sugar Regulatory Administration that is holding a series of public consultations on the implementing rules and regulations of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015 is set to submit its final draft to the secretary of agriculture at the end of the month for signing, SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Martin said yesterday.

Under the law the Department of Budget and Management is mandated to include annually, starting 2016, an amount of P2 billion, for the sugarcane industry's development.

Of the amount, 15 percent will go to grants for bloc farms, 15 percent to socialized credit, 15 percent to research and development, 5 percent for scholarship grants and 50 percent for infrastructure support programs.

Martin said that should the DBM have a supplemental budget passed by Congress, it is still possible that P2 billion could be allocated for the sugarcane industry for 2015.

Various industry stakeholders gave their inputs on the IRR in yesterday's public consultation at the SRA Training Hall in Bacolod City.

Martin said she wants to ensure private sector participation as watchdogs in the implementation of the law, to ensure transparency in the use of public funds allotted to the sugarcane industry now, and in the future.

A similar public consultation was held at the SRA social hall in Quezon City for stakeholders from Luzon on May 30, while another will be held in Davao City for Mindanao on May 30.

She said that if some groups request for consultations in their areas before the end of the month, the SRA will try to fit them into the schedule, while written suggestions and concerns can also be sent to her office to taken into consideration in drawing up the final IRR draft.

The Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015 IRR states that it is the policy of the state to promote the competitiveness of the sugarcane industry, maximize the utilization of sugarcane resources, and to improve the incomes of farmers and farm workers, through improved productivity, product diversification, job generation and increased efficiency of sugar mills.

For this purpose, the IRR states that the State shall establish productivity improvement programs, provide needed infrastructure support, enhance research and development for other products derived from sugar, sugarcane and their by-products, provide human resource development and extension services, and provide financial assistance to small farmers.

To ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the sugarcane industry productivity improvement programs, a Sugarcane Industry Development Council will be also be created, the IRR states.*CPG

back to top