- Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Dutete said the government needs to subsidize the sugar industry
- He also said he isn’t keen on extending the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
- Duterte also promised to fully implement the the Sugarcane Industry Development Act
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that if elected president, he would encourage subsidizing the sugar industry, in a bid to boost its competitiveness.
The PDP-Laban standard bearer said he would also ensure the full implementation of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act, that was passed in 2015. The law aims to improve the income of both farmers and workers by increasing productivity, product diversification, job generation, and efficiency of sugar mills.
Duterte made these pronouncements during his latest visit to Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental, which is known as the “Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.”
The province produces over 800,000 metric tons of raw sugar annually.
“We can improve this production as we are hopeful that through the government’s intervention under my administration, we will revive the glory of the sugar industry of the province,” Duterte said in a statement as quoted by InterAksyon.
Duterte also said he would focus on strengthening local production and that by harnessing government intervention to help farmers, there would be no need for additional sugar importation.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) earlier said it is committed to importing 135,508 tons of raw sugar in 2016 alone.
The presidential candidate also expressed his opposition to extending the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law; noting that he prefers to relax and liberalize credit and access to finances for small farmers in order to allow them to contribute to national productivity.
Currently, the Philippines has over 383,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations, according to data from the Philippine Exporters Confederation.
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