SRA still reviewing applications for sugar allocation, says board member

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE volume of sugar under Manila’s latest import program has not yet been allocated to traders as the government is still processing their applications, according to a member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board.

S RA board member Pablo Luis

Azcona on Wednesday told reporters that the SRA is still in the process of accepting applications as per the guidelines of Sugar Order (SO) 6.

Under SO 6, which authorized the importation of 440,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar, the SRA will accept applications for 5 calendar days upon the effectivity of the order or until February 24.

A zcona said the SRA has not received any requests from the Customs bureau for sugar shipments that entered the country.

Under existing rules and regulations, all imported sugar stocks require clearance from the SRA prior to release by Customs officials.

A zcona made pronouncement after Sen. Risa Hontiveros raised questions about SO 6, particularly the allocation of the import volume.

Hontiveros claimed that internal letters between agriculture and sugar officials indicated that the 440,000 MT have already been divided among

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has recently distributed a total of 1,290 land titles covering 1,171.34 hectares of agricultural lands in Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III led the distribution of land titles to 1,321 agrarian reform beneficiaries during a simple ceremony on February 21.

The distribution activities were simultaneously held in the 3 provinces of Central Visayas, with Estrella leading the event in Bohol, Undersecretary for Field Operations Office (FOO) Kazel Celeste in Negros Oriental, and Assistant Secretary Marjorie Ayson in Cebu.

DAR said about 501 ARBs received 602 land titles, covering 544.05 hectares in Bohol Province. Of these land titles, 483 are electronic titles (e-titles), generated under the under the agency’s Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, comprising 471.15 hectares distributed to 402 ARBs.

T he remaining 72.89 hectares were provided with 119 certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) three importers even prior to the approval of SO 6.

Meanwhile, sugarcane planters’ groups on Wednesday urged Congress to investigate the alleged arrival of some 5,000 MT of sugar at the Batangas port.

T he groups lamented that the shipments entered the country before SO 6 was issued by the SRA board. The groups include the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters Inc., Con- given to 99 farmers.

Negros Oriental distributed 480 land titles, covering an aggregate area of 330.63 hectares, to 474 ARBs. Of these, 175 are e-titles, covering 145.73 hectares, distributed to 212 ARBs; 271 are CLOAs, covering 164.83 hectares, to 238 ARBs; and 34 are emancipation patents (EPs), covering 20.07 hectares, for 24 ARBs.

In Cebu province, 208 CLOAs, covering 296.66 hectares, were distributed to 346 ARBs.

T he SPLIT Project is the subdivision of agricultural lands and issuance of individual land titles to ARBs who were previously awarded lands under collective CLOAs.

“Hold on to your land titles and take care of your farmlands because this administration will pour out various support services in your community to boost your livelihood activities,” Estrella said.

A side from the provision of lands and support services, the DAR is working in tandem with the lawmakers for the eventual approval of a bill to make the lands distributed to the ARBs federation of Sugar Producers Association Inc., Philippine Sugar Millers Association, and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Inc.

T he BusinessMirror reported last week that President Marcos Jr. will have the final say on the sugar allocation of every eligible importer under the latest importation program of the national program, based on SO 6.

SO 6 stipulated that the allocation

AFTER an extraordinary heat wave smothered much of India last year and forced the country to restrict wheat exports, farmers are closely guarding their fields as the threat of another extreme weather event looms.

Several parts of the country are witnessing unusually warm weather for this time of the year, including in the biggest wheat-growing areas. The plants are reaching maturity or close to flowering, making them very sensitive to heat. High temperatures can result in output losses, the weather office has warned.

India’s wheat harvest is the biggest globally after China. It’s a staple in the local diet and important for food security. Prolonged heat could cut production for a second straight year, hurting efforts to control local food costs. It also means the country will likely retain export curbs, which will keep the world market tight amid dry weather in the United States and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Keeping food costs in check is a top priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi before polls in several states this year and the general election in 2024. State reserves of wheat market with cheap imports at the expense of our farmers and fisherfolk,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson said in a statement.

T he Philippines imported almost 200,000 metric tons of round scad and other pelagic fishes from China, Vietnam, and Taiwan from 20182022, says Hicap. This, he noted, was done even when the RCEP was not yet put in place.

Now that the Philippines has formally joined the RCEP, large volumes of imported agricultural products are expected to flood our country. This will threaten our local industry that has been neglected, and which will be outcompeted by imports.”

Hicap said other impacts of RCEP in the fishing sector include possible “intensified conversion projects in fishing grounds and coastal areas by Chinese investors and developers; and expansion of private aquaculture in municipal fishing grounds funded by Chinese firms for export in their country.”

By railroading the RCEP, the Marcos administration has openly demonstrated its subservience to foreign countries, particularly to China that has been pushing the said mega free trade deal. It is very disappointing that the Marcos administration and its legislators did not even consider the ongoing usurpation of China in the West Philippine Sea before they approved the RCEP.”

Pamalakaya, an umbrella organization with local chapters across the country, maintained that policies anchored on import-liberalization should stop, insisting that local fisheries capture industry should instead be supported and strengthened by the government.

“By breaking free from foreign policies that favor powerful countries such as China can the Philippine government only effectively assert our national sovereignty.”

Romualdez: Govt will intensify campaign against agri smuggling

By Jovee marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

FOLLOWING the discovery of warehouses hoarding onions and garlic, the speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday said the government’s “intensified and relentless campaign” against agricultural smuggling will continue.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez commended law enforcement agencies for heeding his call to raid warehouses suspected of hoarding onions and garlic.

H e said the smuggling of agricultural products poses a significant threat to the country’s food sustainability, as it causes artificial price increases, significant losses to the government’s revenue, and undermines the competitiveness of local farmers.

per importer will need the approval of the Department of Agriculture, which is headed by Mr. Marcos.

T he allocation per importer under the latest round of importation would be based on the recommendation of the SRA board.

In the previous sugar import programs, the SRA board capped the volume per importer or gave prorated allocations to each eligible member.

used to supply the food program for the poor have shrunk to the smallest for this time of year since 2017, underscoring the tight supply.

W hile India’s crop is in good condition for now, farmers need to water their fields frequently to prevent any yield losses, said Gyanendra Singh, head of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research. They’re also advised to look out for pests and diseases that tend to thrive when the weather warms.

The farm ministry forecasts wheat production will hit a record high this season. Despite that, domestic prices have stayed elevated. The average retail cost of wheat is about 19 percent higher than a year ago while flour prices have jumped 20 percent, according to the consumer affairs department. Officials have announced the sale of 5 million tons of wheat from state reserves to cool prices.

With hot weather set to prevail, India has set up a panel to monitor the impact of rising temperatures on the wheat crop. Singh advised farmers to spray their crop with potassium chloride, a type of fertilizer, if temperatures rise above 30C (86F) in the day or 15C at night.

We talked to our law enforcement agencies to raid warehouses suspected of hoarding onions and garlic. This [hoarding] is one of the causes of inflation,” Romualdez said after an inter-agency task force led by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) immediately delivered results in the fight against hoarding of onions and garlic.

We are expecting that this campaign against exploiters will continue.”

Romualdez issued the statement after the BOC, under the new commissioner, Bienvenido Rubio, reported the discovery of around P150

Shortages

A MAJOR British grocer is rationing sales of fruit and vegetables after a bad harvest in southern Spain and North Africa led to gaps on supermarket shelves.

A sda, the United Kingdom thirdlargest grocer, has begun limiting purchases to three of each product across tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

Other retailers may follow suit after cold weather in key agricultural locations disrupted harvests, with the impact expected to last for weeks.

Shoppers in the UK have been posting pictures on social media of empty shelves in vegetable aisles across multiple supermarkets.

Grocers become more reliant on imports around this time of year, particularly from sunnier places such as Spain. British horticultural production normally only starts in late March or April and domestic supplies have already been hit by labor shortages and the higher cost of energy and fertilizer.

T he supply of salad ingredients such as tomatoes and cucumbers is expected to fall to the lowest level million worth of imported onions and garlic stored in 24 separate locations—many of them warehouses— in the cities of Manila and Malabon. since records began in 1985, according to the National Farmers’ Union. It is not sustainable for farmers and growers to continue to sell below the cost of production,” said NFU President Minette Batters, speaking at the group’s annual conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. She called for government support for farming in next month’s Budget.

I reiterate my warning to these evil hoarders and unscrupulous businessmen. We are breathing down your necks,” Romualdez said in a statement.

He said he will continue to call for the crackdown against smugglers to protect Filipino consumers as well as farmers.

C arrying Letters of Authority (LOA) from Rubio based on confirmed intelligence report of possible smuggling and hoarding activities, the composite team that included operatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), agents of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) raided the warehouses.

A n ongoing inquiry by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by Quezon 1st district Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga has linked the recent spikes in the price of onion and garlic to unscrupulous traders who are hoarding such products to create an artificial supply shortage.

In its latest hearing, the committee learned that this artificial shortage is sometimes used as an excuse to facilitate the importation of onions, which further hurt local farmers.

Catering supplier Reynolds said availability was low across glasshouse fruit and vegetables grown in Spain and Morocco—including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, chillies and courgettes. The company’s latest crop report shows amber or red status for these items. Cooler weather is causing produce to grow more slowly than usual and preventing it from ripening.

T he problems have triggered shortages at supermarkets across northwest Europe, said Cindy van Rijswick, a senior analyst at Rabobank. “Probably somewhere in March, the production will be back to normal,” she said.

Glasshouses in countries like the Netherlands also curbed winter output due to high gas costs, Van Rijswick added. Bloomberg News