KADIWA receives 4,000 MT sugar from Department of Finance – Bureau of Customs (DOF-BOC)
The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) formally received 4,000 metric tons (MT) of white refined sugar from the Department of Finance – Bureau of Customs (DOF-BOC) to be sold at various KADIWA markets and stalls starting from August 1st.
KADIWA is a marketing initiative of DA, implemented through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance (AMAS), which seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain.
The move is in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address the rising prices of basic commodities, particularly sugar and achieve national food security. As per the latest Supply and Demand Situation of the DA-Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), the current sugar supply is more than enough to sustain existing demands. The report noted a physical stock of 262,328.30 MT raw sugar, 448,106.45 MT refined sugar, and 148,264.29 MT molasses as of July 16.
Meanwhile, the DA-Surveillance, Monitoring, and Enforcement Group also reported that, as of July 31, the retail price of refined sugar in Metro Manila markets ranges from P86 to P110 per kilo, washed sugar from P82 to P90, while a kilo of brown sugar is between P78 to P90.
The sugar, which was shipped from Thailand, was seized at the Port of Batangas last April for lack of proper documents, specifically the required Notice of Arrival. It was later cleared for donation and consumption based on the guidelines specified in the DA-Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Memorandum. The donation is aligned to reach various local communities to conveniently access sugar.
