Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 20) — The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is eying the sale of 4,000 metric tons (MT) of smuggled refined sugar in Kadiwa stores, SRA board member Pablo Azcona disclosed on Thursday.
Azcona said the smuggled sugar will hopefully be sold by May in Kadiwa stores. The stores launched by the government last year aim to allow farmers to sell their products directly to consumers at lower prices amid inflated commodity prices.
Farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) earlier called on the government not to \”reward\” smugglers by selling smuggled sugar in Kadiwa stores.
READ: Farmers’ group: Smuggled sugar should not be sold to public
Meanwhile, the SRA also said it was planning to set the suggested retail price of sugar at ₱85 per kilogram.
The national government greenlit in February the importation of 440,000 MT of refined sugar: 200,000 MT for consumption and 240,000 MT for buffer stock.
Azcona previously told CNN Philippines’ The Source that the SRA would set the SRP of refined sugar to ₱85/kg once the imported commodity was released to markets.
READ: Order greenlights 440,000-MT sugar importation
According to the Department of Agriculture’s latest price monitor, refined sugar costs between ₱86/kg to ₱110/kg in markets in Metro Manila.
