THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said it plans to charge higher import clearance fees for alternative sweeteners before the end of the year.
“We are actually pushing for it to be finished before the year ends,” SRA Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona told reporters.
The SRA said earlier that it was drafting a sugar order meant to increase the clearance fees for high fructose corn syrup at P30 per equivalent bag of sugar and P10 per equivalent bag for all other sweeteners.
He added that the regulator will go forward with such a sugar order despite concerns raised about the higher fees.
“We just need to explain to them the purpose of the order, which is to actually gather data,” he said.
He added that food and beverage manufacturers have questioned the SRA’s power to control the entry of sugar alternatives.
“We came up with that order because we were made aware that the volume of other sugars coming in is large. Since these other sugars are a substitute to our cane sugar, we need to know exactly how much is coming in,” Mr. Azcona said.
“I think the fees increase is very minimal, it’s not an issue. They’re more concerned about the purpose of the order,” he added.
The government imposes tariffs on high fructose corn syrup, a commodity classified under Tariff Code 17.02 of the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature.
Other sweeteners recognized by the Tariff Code include glucose, fructose, artificial honey, palm sugar and maltose.
“It is difficult to make a policy and plan for local industry without knowing who the competitors are,” he said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has ordered an investigation into the entry of other sweeteners after meeting with the sugar industry. Producers have said such imports compete with cane sugar. — Adrian H. Halili