Sugar industry is dying because of importation, says Senate Pres. Tito Sotto

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said the sugar industry is dying because of importation.

“It is dying because of the importation. Kaya yun ang isa sa mga (dahilan) kung kaya hindi nabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga magsasaka na kumita,” Sotto said in an ambush interview with the media at noon today at the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City.

Sotto met various sectoral groups in the city this morning and this afternoon, which is part of his series of dialogues with Negrenses and also part of his campaign sorties for his vice presidential candidacy.

“We have proposed solutions to it. For example, yun ang sinasabi ko, 50 percent of the output of the farmers should be paid by government, should be bought by government. Ang dali namang ibenta ng gobyerno yan eh. We’ve been doing it in some other provinces as experimental and it’s working,” Sotto told newsmen.
“Yung mga magsasaka matutuwa yun because they will not suffer sa mga traders at mga middle men.

Anyway meron pa namang 50 percent para sa mga middle men at mga traders doon sila mamimili pero ang mga magsasaka safe na sa stabilized price nila kung gobyerno ang bibili,” he added.

“Ngayon, ang tanong, may pera ba ang gobyerno? Meron, konukorakot lang e, sobra. Meron nga tayong every year, for the last 10 years, P328 billion unused, wala pa dyan yung abused. P328 billion unused, sobra sobra yan para sa mga magsasaka,” Sotto also said.* (Arman P. Toga footage)