President Ferdinand Marcos has made good on his plan to import 150,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar amid a shortage of supply in the country.
The volume of sugar imports was formalized in Sugar Order No. 2 that Marcos signed on September 1 but was only published on September 13, his birthday.
Half of the 150,000 MT to be imported will be allotted to industrial users like food and beverage manufacturers, while the remaining 75,000 MT will be for public consumption.
The additional import volumes are meant to address the local supply shortage and “manage sugar prices” after the retail price reached P100 per kilo of refined sugar in public markets and grocery stores.
Importers may apply for import permits before the SRA’s offices in Quezon City and Bacolod. Marcos Jr. set a November 15 deadline for all shipments to arrive in the country.
The SRA is ordered to collect P33 per 50-kilogram bag of sugar as clearance fee, and charge a performance bond of P750 per sack on the traders.
Marcos earlier resisted additional imports and struck down a 300,000 MT importation order signed by the former heads of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
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