The Sugar Regulatory Administration has written the minimum access volume secretariat that there is no need to import sugar because the country has enough to meet domestic demands and even plans to export to the World market its surplus, Administrator Rafael Coscolluela said yesterday.

Coscolluela corrected the misimpression that this year's production volume would dip by as much as 18.66 percent with the comparative report of production volumes of Dec. 30, 2006 as against Dec. 30, 2007 , saying it was not intended to predict the production figure for the current crop year.

Federico Locsin III, chairman of Confederation of Sugar Producer's Associations Inc.–Negros/Panay Chapter, said milling has picked up lately and that will continue as the milling season reaches its peak.

By the end of the milling season, he said, the figures are sure to shoot up and reach the projected sugar production by the SRA.

Should there be a need to import sugar, it must be in raw form and importers be limited to sugar producers, that is, millers and planters, he said.

Otherwise, based on the present trend of sugar production, the SRA had set aside a certain percentage of the expected production as “D” or world sugar, he said. This will be exported to the World market to relieve the pressure of surplus.

A portion of the “D” sugar is being offered to Customs Bonded Warehouse operators (food processors) for them to buy the exportable sugar and save a lot on freight and other charges normally involved in importing sugar from abroad, he said.

Besides, it will also mean savings in terms of no expenses for freight charges which have climbed up tremendously due to higher oil cost and the normal upswing due to competition for ship bottoms, he added.

The SRA and the other government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry panels, are scheduled to hold a conference in Baguio soon to discuss the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

Reports said the sugar industry and the government are expected to oppose tariff reduction on rice and sugar and instead move for its classification as highly sensitive commodities.*RLE

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