By: Tamara Morrigan Catada

The Unifed Federation of Sugar Producers (UNIFED) sought the intervention of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to raise the suggested retail price (SRP) of sugar from the current P70 per kilo to at least P85-90. 

This, as the federation called the government's attention to sugar farms in southern Negros Occidental that are still under water due to continuous rain brought about by Tropical Storm Paeng.

"Our sugar farmers need help to recover from the damage caused by the storm that has inundated hundreds of farms from north to south and the rest of the Visayas," UNIFED President Manuel Lamata stated.

Aside from the increase in the SRP, Lamata said they are also asking millgate prices to increase by P60 from the current price ranging from P2,900/LKg to "hopefully stabilize at P3,000 per bag."

He also explained that millgate prices had already gone down before the calamity. Seeing the damage TS Paeng wrought, he emphasized the 
need for immediate assistance from President Marcos to improve sugar prices "until our farmers are able to recover."

"While sugar prices have gone down, fertilizers and fuel prices are still on the rise --- and compounded with the storm's damage, our sugar farmers will have a hard time surviving this time," Lamata added. 

UNIFED is confident that the President, as the head of the Agriculture Department, will understand the situation as the typhoon "has not only cost lives but millions, perhaps billions of damage to our agriculture industry."