Sugar planters, labor unions unite on industry issues

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY—Enrique D. Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), welcomed the collaboration between the Confederation of Sugar Planters’ Associations, Inc. (CONFED) and the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) on critical issues affecting the sugar industry.

Rojas was reacting to a recent meeting between CONFED president Aurelio Valderrama Jr. and NACUSIP president Roland de la Cruz, where they agreed to engage in issue-based collaboration on sugar industry-related matters.

NACUSIP is the largest federation of labor unions in the sugar industry, including agrarian reform beneficiaries.

De la Cruz was recently elected national president of an organization comprising 61 multi-industry trade unions with collective bargaining agreements and 17 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations nationwide.

Valderrama noted that both parties initially agreed to work jointly on revising the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015 and empowering industry stakeholders by advocating for more consultative policymaking by the government, especially on sugar importation.

“The NFSP has a long history of working with NACUSIP to maintain harmony between sugar farmers and their farm workers. During that time, NACUSIP was led by Roland’s father, Atty. Zoilo dela Cruz. Now that Roland is at the helm of NACUSIP, we are confident that we can continue working toward harmonious and mutually beneficial arrangements between the farmers and the workers,” Rojas said.

“On behalf of the Sugar Council, I invite NACUSIP and other like-minded groups to collaborate with our three planters federations—NFSP, CONFED, and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED), led by Dan A. Abelita—to jointly work for the welfare of sugar farmers and workers,” Rojas added.

Rojas emphasized that one of the most important issues the Sugar Council, NACUSIP, and other industry groups should focus on is sugar importation.

While he acknowledged that the country currently cannot produce enough sugar to meet domestic demand, he insisted that any importation should undergo transparent and inclusive consultation with all affected stakeholders.

“Government should publicly disclose the figures used as the basis for calculating the volume of sugar to be imported and ensure that the timing of the imported sugar’s arrival will not negatively impact millgate sugar prices,” Rojas emphasized.

“Sugar farmers would appreciate government measures that demonstrate concern for their welfare and that of the workers. It is hardly comforting to read statements from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) that seemingly favor traders in this latest export-import scheme,” Rojas pointed out.

Rojas was referring to a scheme in which traders who previously purchased local sugar at a premium price of ₱2,700 per bag were granted the right to export sugar “at a loss” to the United States in exchange for rights to import cheaper sugar from the world market.

“Given that these traders, who participated in the U.S. export trade, will also be allowed to import refined sugar, the cost of money and other fees they incurred will likely result in only a small profit to recoup their expenses,” the SRA statement said in news reports published yesterday.

The statement did not sit well with other industry stakeholders, as the supposedly “premium purchase price” of ₱2,700 per bag was lower than sugar prices during the last crop year (2022-2023).

The U.S. export-import scheme is seen as a double-whammy in favor of traders, as they were able to purchase local sugar at lower prices than last crop year, while also profiting from the rights granted to them by the SRA to import cheaper sugar.