In a bold move to bolster the Philippines’ sugar industry, senatorial candidate Abby Binay has proposed a ban on sugar imports during the harvest season. Speaking at a press conference in Dumaguete City, Binay emphasized the need to protect local farmers and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign sugar. She argued that such a policy would not only empower local farmers but also create jobs and potentially position the Philippines as a sugar exporter.
Binay stressed the importance of a clear policy that prohibits importation during harvest time, stating, ‘Let us make a clear policy that during harvest time, there would be no importation. That has to be clearly in black and white.’ Her vision extends beyond just a seasonal import ban; she advocates for a complete shift to 100 percent reliance on locally produced sugar.
The candidate highlighted the struggles of the sugar industry, noting that farmers often earn only once a year during the harvest. Importing sugar during this period, she warned, leads to a drop in farmgate prices, severely impacting farmers’ earnings. Binay urged support for local farmers by stopping the importation of high sucrose products, which she described as the main competitor to local produce.
Support for Binay’s proposal came from fellow administration-backed senatorial candidate Vicente Sotto III, who suggested that the government should purchase half of all agricultural products at farmgate prices to ensure fair compensation for farmers. Sotto believes this approach would bypass traders and increase farmers’ income.
Additionally, former interior secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. called for measures to support farmers further, including low-interest loans, expanded crop insurance, and incentives to prevent agricultural land conversion.
The administration’s slate of senatorial candidates, including Binay, Sotto, and Abalos, also features former senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, Representatives Erwin Tulfo and Camille Villar, and Senators Francis Tolentino, Lito Lapid, Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, Pia Cayetano, and Imee Marcos.