Reforms needed to save sugar industry – Gibo

MANILA, Philippines — Former defense secretary and senatorial candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro sees the need for policy reforms to save and boost the local sugar industry.

He raised these challenges that are needed to be addressed in a meeting of UniTeam and their local allies during their visit in Bacolod City the other day.

Teodoro, a former Tarlac congressman, pointed out that one of the challenges in agriculture sector is the land retention limit, which is a maximum of three hectares of compact land based on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

Teodoro noted that sugar production in the country has been fluctuating in the past three years based on data of the Sugar Regulatory Administration. He said factors that limit the growth of sugar farmers include declining farming area for sugarcane and low productivity. He added that expanding the land retention limit will help sugar farmers to increase their yields.

He also emphasized the importance of sugar industry for the country, particularly for Negros Island, as sugar is one of the top five crops in the country in terms of value following rice, banana, corn and coconut.

Eleazar: More COVID-19 tests

Meanwhile, testing efforts for COVID should be further intensified by the national government to detect more people who are infected with the disease.

This was the appeal of former national police chief and senatorial candidate Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to the Department of Health after the World Health Organization raised concern about fewer people around the world who are subjecting themselves to virus tests.

“Now is not the time for us to be complacent,” Eleazar, who is running in the May 9 elections, said, and that even if the numbers in almost all regions have improved and cases are on a decline, the fact is COVID-19 is still very much around.