WE ALL need a balance of the three major nutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Sugar is pure carbohydrates.
About 55 to 60 percent of our daily calories should come from carbohydrate. It provides energy for exercising muscles, regulates the metabolism of fat and protein, and digests easily. Carbohydrates are essential because all food is broken down into glucose, which is used for immediate energy or stored as glycogen in the muscles or liver.
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1997. As far as the population was concerned, we were in equilibrium between production and consumption of sugar. There were alarmists who talked about ‘the sugar crisis’. They always did. President FVR was impatient. He demanded to know: “What sugar crisis?”. No adequate answer was forthcoming.
The yield of our sugar industry for the crop year 1996-1997, from 1 September 1997 to 31 August 1997 was approximately 1.75 million tonnes.
Since the per capita annual consumption was somewhat over 20 kilogrammes, we basically produced our needs to satisfy our population of around 70 million.
We also had an agreement with the US, entitled the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934. This meant that we exported a relatively small amount of sugar to America.
In order to protect our sugar industry against unwarranted importation, especially from Thailand, we then had a tariff of 56 percent. This engendered an opportunity for sugar smuggling. Anecdotally, some sugar eluded the scrutiny of the Bureau of Customs.
So, what is the problem? Why are we now, having enormous difficulties? Why can’t we obtain much needed soft drinks from Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and RC Cola?
The short answer is that from 1997 until now, our population has grown from 70 million to 110 million.
Didn’t anyone see this coming?
Apparently not.
Our per capita consumption is approximately the same as it was 25 years ago, but our population is 40 million greater than it was then. It is reasonable to suppose that our annual need for the sweetener is almost one million tonnes greater.
The quantity of sugar produced by our local industry is no longer sufficient to meet our needs.
What to do?
We need import.
I believe that we need to import with greater freedom than exists at present.
We have a sugar shortage.
So far, we have tried, not very successfully, to control imports.
Why?
Sugar prices have skyrocketed.
Shouldn’t we loosen our girdle?
We want our sugar industry to be able to freely sell its produce.
But we also want our consumers to be able to acquire the necessary carbohydrate at a reasonable price which we currently do not have.
President Marcos wants us to strike an appropriate balance between sugar producers and consumers.
Agreed. But, at present, we need to give more support to our consumers./PN
