Cooperation urged to meet sugar zero tariff

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Negros Occidental government urged sugar industry stakeholders to “get their acts together” to meet the challenges when the tariff on sugar imports go down to zero in 2015.

Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., who was guest of honor at the first day of the Philsutech Convention at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City, said “it is high time to address this problem because we can’t avoid this anymore.”

“I call on our sugar industry leaders to prepare and I am very hopeful that we will be able to surpass this,” Marañon said, adding the industry should capitalize on good prices to “modernize and plan how to bring down production costs so we can be competitive” with other producers in the region.

“While we still have the resources, let us work on these challenges,” he added.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala echoed the governor’s sentiments when he spoke before the assembly last Wednesday for President Benigno Aquino III.

“Let us not sleep on the job, let us all work together,” said Alcala.

“They say that the implementation of zero-tariff come 2015 is seen as the collapse of the sugar industry but seeing you all at work and taking action on this matter, I can report back to our President and tell him that there is hope for our sugar industry after all,” Alcala said in Filipino.

Alcala also stressed the need to “lower sugar production cost and we need to act together, not just the planters, but all sectors involved in the industry.”

He said the past few years have been good for the sugar industry and there is no better time to sit down and address the looming zero-tariff challenge than the present.