THE United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (Unifed) in a statement lauded the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for banning molasses imports used as feedstock for bioethanol production.
The provision allowing importation of sugarcane- and sugar-derived products for bioethanol had gone unamended for nearly two decades, despite two earlier revisions to the policy, Unifed president Manuel Lamata said.
“This was an oversight that could have killed the industry, had it not been amended,” he said, noting that when the rule was written, only one ethanol plant was operating and local raw materials could have easily covered demand.
Unifed also backed the existing government task force managing the resurgence of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI). The task force comprises various agencies, local officials, and sugar federations.
Previous task force efforts had driven infestation rates down, Lamata said, arguing against creating a new body to accommodate those unwilling to cooperate with the current one.
The group is pushing for the task force to be strengthened down to city and municipal levels.
Unifed is organizing gatherings with leaders in Negros Oriental to chart paths for protecting sugar farms in the province and across Negros Island.
“It is time to unite,” Lamata said. “Unifed will continue to work with those who want to prioritize the best interest of the sugar industry.”
