A decision on sugar liberalization in the Philippines is about to be taken

The Philippine government will soon decide whether to proceed with plans to open up the local sugar industry, which has not received the support of industry stakeholders or even lawmakers, the Philippine Star reported on March 9.
The National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) continues to study the pros and cons of opening up the sugar industry and its implications.
, assistant minister for economic management at NEDA, said the plan would be approved by the EDC and cabinet and was due to be released in May or June.
decision on liberalization depended on the results of the study.
said the sugar industry had many problems, had not been modernized, had not used new technology and was very old-fashioned.
NEDA and DOF share a common view on the unrealted potential of the sugar industry and the need to improve the competitiveness and productivity of the sector.
latest figures from the Sugar Regulatory Agency showed that production of raw sugar fell 13 per cent to 1.11 million tonnes in the third week of February.
total sugar cane production was 12.5 million tons, down 10% year-on-year.
factory price is almost stable at 1539 pesos per bag (50 kg).