MANILA - The importation of refined sugar will help address the deficiency in the market, a member of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturer said Tuesday.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) plans to import some 200,000 metric tons of sugar this year.
In an interview with ANC, Charmant Ingredients Corp President and Managing Director Helen Grace Baisa said the sugar for import is refined and is different from the one consumed daily by households.
"Due to the current local shortage of refined sugar that conforms with the specification and quality requirements of food manufacturers particularly premium and bottlers’ refined sugar, there is an urgent need for importation," Baisa said.
"Premium sugar is crystalline white sugar [which is] free from foreign material. Those are normally the ones used in bottled productions and other food manufacturing products. It’s different from the one we actually take on a regular basis," she added.
Typhoon Odette, which hit the country in December, had also caused damage to some refineries as well as supply, Baisa said.
"We just wanted this on an emergency case, we fully support the local sugar industry and it’s easier for the food industry to purchase on a local basis," she said.
Baisa said the prices of refined sugar rose 25 percent in the first week of Febrary compared to the previous year.
Several lawmakers have opposed the importation of sugar.