‘Efforts vs sugar liberalization not yet late’

NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday that all the efforts to stop the move to liberalize the sugar import are not yet late.

He added the leadership of the sugar industry should work to come up with the solution to solve

the problem of the sugar industry.

Marañon who met with Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol in Cotabato over the weekend said the agriculture chief is for the sugar industry because he is aware that liberalization would mean the death of the sugar industry.

“That’s why the President should be enlightened. Imagine how many thousands of workers would be displaced. Sugar is such a huge industry. It is a P20 billion industry which will be dissolved by the liberalization,” the governor pointed out.

When asked about the traders who are identified by the finance managers of President Rodrigo Duterte as the real culprits of the high price of sugar in the market, Marañon said: “that is the reality. That’s why there will a sugar summit.”

He said he will attend the Sugar Summit on February 11 to 12 if invited.

Sugar Regulatory Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica said that former governor Rafael Coscolluela will be the moderator during the summit to be held at the Department of Agriculture Office.

He said the sugar industry will have one voice on the sugar liberalization issue.*