Kadiwa to start selling seized sugar in May

MANILA, Philippines — The government will start selling refined sugar for P70 per kilo at Kadiwa outlets by the third week of May, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a radio interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and DA spokesman Kristine Evangelista said that a distribution system is being finalized in preparation for the selling of confiscated smuggled refined sugar at the Kadiwa stores.

“We are looking at the volume of consumption, the demand in the different areas as the Kadiwa caters to the most vulnerable. The rollout will cover the regions,” Evangelista said.

Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member and farmers’ representative Pablo Azcona on Wednesday announced that a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the donation of seized sugar has already been finalized.

“We aim to start the sale at the Kadiwa, in the third week of May. We just need to finish the repacking as we will sell this at one kilo. We are also coordinating with SRA for the distribution as we need to identify the warehouses for the storage of the sugar,” Evangelista said.

Initially, at least 4,000 metric tons of smuggled sugar would be sold at the Kadiwa outlets.

“We will clear with (Agriculture) Senior Undersecretary (Domingo Panganiban) if we can sell to Kadiwa every time there is confiscated (sugar),” she added.

Panganiban was appointed officer-in-charge (OIC) of SRA after the resignation of David Thaddeus Alba from the position took effect last April 15. Panganiban acts as board chairman of the SRA.

Based on monitoring of the DA yesterday, the retail price of refined sugar ranged from P86 to P110 per kilo; washed sugar, from P80 to P95 per kilo; and brown sugar, P78 to P95 per kilo.

Azcona said that at least 130,000 MT of imported sugar have arrived in the country, with 86,000 MT approved for distribution in the market amid high retail prices.

He reiterated that the DA and SRA are to implement a uniform suggested retail price for imported and local sugar.

“We cannot come up with a separate SRP for local and imported sugar. The imported sugar is roughly 440,000 MT compared to 1.8 MMT local sugar. If the farmgate price of sugar will be bought somewhere P40 to P45 (per kilo), it will be the death of our farmers – the local industry will simply die. We will come up with one SRP and the suggestion is P85 (per kilo),” Azcona pointed out.

Panganiban appointment hit

Meanwhile, Sen. Risa Hontiveros castigated Malacañang for appointing Panganiban as OIC of SRA instead of punishing him for his questionable order allowing the importation of sugar.

“For Malacañang and Panganiban, it appears that crime really does pay – it even has rewards,” Hontiveros said. “In the end, nothing good will come out of this appointment. It’s a big loss to people’s interest and, to their pockets.”

She said Malacañang’s giving Panganiban a new position was “a stark contrast to their treatment of another DA official who resigned his post after being tagged in the controversial Sugar Order No. 4.” She was apparently referring to Alba.

The DA – through Panganiban – issued a memo to Alba asking him to certify the legality of the shipment of 440,000 MT of imported sugar shipped in by All Asian Countertrade Inc., Edison Lee Marketing and S&D SUCDEN Philippines Inc.

“I fear that the SRA, under Panganiban, will continue to deny requests by industries to procure their own sugar supplies and justify the high prices of sugar being forced on consumers and businesses alike,” she added. – Cecille Suerte Felipe