Sugar retail price in supermarkets hits P136/kilo

MANILA, Philippines — The retail price of sugar has reached as high as P136 per kilo in some supermarkets despite the flooding of imported sweetener in the markets, according to the latest price monitoring report of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

According to the SRA, the retail price of refined sugar in the groceries in Metro Manila ranged between P90.95 and P136 per kilo, while in public wet markets it was between P88 and P110 per kilo.

The SRA added that the retail price of washed sugar ranged between P85 and P120 per kilo in groceries and between P85 and P95 per kilo in the markets.

For raw sugar, it ranged between 85.60 and P111 per kilo in the supermarkets and between P80 and P90 per kilo in the public markets.

The SRA conducts separate price monitoring as the Department of Agriculture (DA) has its daily price watch.

Based on latest monitoring of the DA, the retail price of refined sugar is between P86 and P110 per kilo; washed sugar, between P80 and P90 per kilo and brown sugar, between P78 and P95 per kilo.

Newly appointed SRA acting administrator and chief executive officer Pablo Azcona has said that the imposition of suggested retail price of P85 per kilo and the sale of seized smuggled sugar at the Kadiwa outlets at P70 per kilo will bring down prices of the sweetener.

“If we mix the local and imported, we hope that the retail cost will go down but our problem is the retail selling. The SRA has no control over the traders. We will coordinate with agencies related just to make sure the prices will not be abused,” Azcona added.

The government has allowed the importation of 440,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar under Sugar Order No. 6, saying this was necessary to help temper market prices.