No plan to regulate imports of sugar alternatives - SRA

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) clarified that its plan to impose clearance fees on imported sugar alternatives is intended to monitor the volume of shipments and not to regulate the importation of so-called "other sugar" products.

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

SRA administrator and CEO Pablo Luis Azcona said certain industry players, including food manufacturers and beverage makers, have raised concerns regarding their plan to require importers of sweetener under Tariff Line 1702 to pay an import clearance fee before their shipments could be released at the port.

Azcona earlier revealed that the SRA board is set to sign an order that would impose a P10 per 50-kilogram bag equivalent of raw sugar clearance fee on imported sweeteners like glucose and fructose as part of its efforts to monitor the entry of sugar alternatives in the country.

"The proposed order is not about controlling or regulating the importation of these other sugars. The purpose is to get accurate data on the amount of other sugar that enters the country," Azcona said.