BACOLOD CITY—At least 22 lawmakers objected to a proposal by the Department of Finance to lift restrictions on importation of sugar.
The DOF, in a bulletin last Sept. 27, said import restrictions, which limit importation volumes, had raised sugar prices, penalized consumers and stunted the growth of food and beverage industry. The Philippine sugar industry, worth P120 billion a year, pays P4.5 billion in value added tax, P37 billion in excise and P6.9 billion in corporate and real estate tax, said Benitez.“The economic viability of small sugar farms, cultivated by beneficiaries of agrarian reform, remain tenuous because of the insufficiency and inefficiency of government support,” he said.
Benitez, vice chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the congressmen behind the resolution would demand a House investigation that would identify bottlenecks in programs designed to help sugar farmers.Deputy House Minority Leader Stephen Paduano echoed Benitez, saying the sugar industry is getting barely any support from the government.