LOCAL sugar producers said  the Philippines is already self-sufficient in sugar as the industry is projected to produce 2.34 million metric tons (MMT) of the commodity for this crop year ending August 31.

The projected sugar  production for crop year 2007-08 is almost 5-percent higher than the 2.23 MMT produced by the Philippines during the last crop year.

Rafael Coscolluela, administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), said excess production is estimated at 140,000 MT. Any excess produced by the Philippines is shipped out to the United States and other Asian markets.

“Based on our [SRA] production and consumption estimates, the President and the Filipino consumer need not worry about the supply of sugar,” said Coscolluela.

Local sugar producers, however, said the country’s self-sufficiency in sugar could be threatened by the possible removal of tariffs on sugar under the Asean Free-Trade Area (Afta)-Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme.

By 2010 existing tariffs on sugar products, ranging from 28  percent to 38 percent, will go down to between zero to 5 percent under the Afta-CEPT.

For one, the Confederation of Sugar  Producers Associations Inc. said there is no compelling reason to bring down tariffs on sugar since domestic producers can ably supply the needs of local consumers.

“We have been telling the government that we can sufficiently supply the market and [have been] asking them to give us producers effective tariff protection from subsidized Thai sugar,” said Bernado Trebol of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc.

While the Philippnes has been importing rice and corn to augment the shortfall in domestic production, the country has been self-sufficient in sugar for the last five  years.

Beginning in crop year 2002-03, there has been a sustained and continued surplus of production of raw sugar, averaging about 102,000 MT per crop year. This, local producers said, was attained without cost, subsidy or support from the government.

To avoid a similar fate that befell the rice industry, Enrique  Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters Inc. (NFSP), said  the government must look at all possible options to ensure that the competitiveness of the local sugar industry will not be eroded.

“Our country [should not] rely on the world market where supply and prices are highly volatile, to ensure food security,” said Rojas.

Archimedes  Amarra, executive director of the Philippine Sugar Millers Association Inc., warned that opening up the sugar market and exposing local producers to unfair competition could wipe out any gains made by the industry to attain sugar self-sufficiency.

“Exposing sugar producers to unfair competition from subsidized imported sugar through reduction in tariff puts the Philippines in a precarious situation. When production drops because of depressed prices, we may not just worry about rice, we may also start worrying about sugar. The situation is socially and politically unimaginable,” said Amarra.

Sugar is one of the commodities that the Philippines  does not have to import. The concerted effort of stakeholders in the industry to improve productivity allowed the Philippines to become self-sufficient in the commodity in recent years.

APART from putting money into the local farm sector, local agricultural producers also pushed for the need to ensure that their efforts to become competitive will not be threatened by the possibility of cheap and subsidized imports competing against their own produce.

PUBLICLY listed technology firm IPVG Corp. aims to increase its funds in a bid to buy more business-process outsourcing (BPO) companies this year, its deputy chairman told the BusinessMirror.

LOCAL sugar producers said  the Philippines is already self-sufficient in sugar as the industry is projected to produce 2.34 million metric tons (MMT) of the commodity for this crop year ending August 31.

EMERGING provinces of China have expressed interests in putting up investments in the Philippines, particu-larly in industrial parks, garments manufacturing, trading and resort development in the country, said the Philippine consulate in Shanghai.

COMING closer to fulfilling its commitment to bring in additional capacity in order to meet the growing demand in Subic Bay Freeport, Aboitiz Power Corp.’s (APC) subsidiary Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (Redondo Peninsula Energy) has recently issued a letter of award to Formosa Heavy Industries.

THE PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) Group unveiled last week a wireless-security solution for business owners that will help them secure their facilities and prevent theft at a fraction of the traditional costs.

AFTER increasing the price of diesel, gasoline and kerosene by as much as P2.50 per liter in March, oil companies have again adjusted the pump price of petroleum products by 50 centavos to reflect the continuous surge of world oil prices.

DAVAO CITY—Business and conventions attracted many of the visitors here and the nearby provinces and outbound travelers have not become the monopoly of urban dwellers nowadays.