Sugar now included in LGU relief packs

QUEZON CITY, April 22 (PIA) — The Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the inclusion of refined sugar in the relief packs to be distributed by local government units (LGUs) to their respective constituents in Metro Manila and other urban centers nationwide.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar, who also leads the Task Group on Food Security said, LGUs can now include at least two kilograms (kg) of sugar in their relief packs.

According to Dar, the initiative is part of the strategy of the Department of Agriculture (DA) through its Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to prop up the demand for local sugar.

“Through this, we can ease the pressure brought about by the high supply of the sweetener,” he said, noting that a stable market would not only benefit consumers but also sugarcane farmers, who are harvesting their crops for the current milling season.

Dar said sugar traders have been experiencing 30 percent (%) to 40% decrease in orders from food manufacturers and other institutional buyers as a result of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and in other parts of the country.

“With the IATF approval, we are hopeful to offset the slowdown in demand for sugar during the quarantine period,” Dar said. (DA/PIA-NCR)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1039653