Sugar stakeholders pursue SRA audit

MANILA, Philippines — The local sugar industry is pushing for a performance audit of the Sugar Regulatory Administration amid its stand on current issues hounding the sector.

In a resolution, the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc. (Confed) has requested the Department of Agriculture to conduct a performance audit on SRA and to include “examination of its current organizational structure and capabilities” and to ensure that SRA performs its mandate.

Stakeholders have expressed concern about the manner in which industry affairs have been managed, sugar policy determined, conduct of stakeholder consultations and implementation of programs.

“Given the industry’s current challenges, it is timely to examine the effectiveness by which SRA performed its mandated functions and responsibilities with the end in view of determining what measures are needed for SRA to serve the industry better,” Confed said.

While it did not directly mention in the latest resolution, stakeholders have been dismayed with the lack of stand of SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica on the planned liberalization of the sugar industry.

It was only last month when Serafica finally broke his silence and sided with the farmers but stand on the government’s plan to liberalize remains uncertain.

While Serafica said he will always look after the mandate of SRA and after the good of the industry particularly its farmers, he did not directly state whether he is in favor or not of the economic team’s proposal to open up and liberalize the sugar industry.

SRA board members Emilio Yulo and Roland Beltran were not even satisfied with Serafica’s answer saying he is playing safe.

Sugar farmers have been urging Serafica to resign if he does not want to stand up for the industry.

Meanwhile, Confed is urging SRA to establish a rationalized and calibrated sugar allocation and import and export policy.

Producers also want SRA to establish a mechanism to address shortage of local supply for industrial users and issue importation authority to industrial users only to the extent of the actual shortfall, among others.

Confed is likewise calling SRA to create a full time project management unit that will focus on the Sugar Industry Development Act programs and create and mobilize the Sugar Industry Development Council to facilitate coordinated and harmonized development initiatives for the good of the industry.