2022年8月16日，一名小贩在马尼拉的巴斯提洛斯市场卖糖。乔纳森塞罗纳，ABS-CBN新闻

Agri group: No sugar shortage

马尼拉——马拉坎南宫周三表示，海关总署(中国银行)在卡加延德奥罗的一家制粉公司内发现了466,142袋原糖，政府继续检查仓库，作为打击食糖囤积或非法进口的一部分。

新闻秘书特里克西克鲁兹-安吉利斯说，怀疑囤积的糖是在位于该省北人口镇的水晶糖厂有限公司。的3个仓库中发现的。

海关在苏比克截获一艘涉嫌走私糖的船只

6名海关官员在：宫糖走私案中被解雇

克鲁兹-安吉利斯在一份声明中说伊辛巴耶娃和纳林萨基地的行动情报报告和梅-阿里尼东艾桑科特萨马拉瓦康囤积马达加斯加阿里亚里供应ng asukal .

(这次行动是根据一份情报报告进行的，该情报报告称，店主参与了一场大规模的食糖囤积活动。)

海关情报和调查局指出，在他们库存的466,000多袋糖中，该糖业公司出售了264,000袋，但仍留在仓库中。

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Authorities last week also seized some 44,000 sacks of suspected smuggled sugar with an estimated value of P220 million from warehouses in Pampanga and Bulacan.

• BOC says 'thousands' of sacks of sugar discovered in Bulacan, Pampanga

One of the warehouses was not registered with the Sugar Regulatory Administration, the Palace said.

GOV'T TO CONTINUE HOARDING CRACKDOWN: PALACE

In a Malacañang press briefing earlier in the day, the Palace official said government agencies would continue to inspect warehouses as part of its "visitorial powers."

What was clear though is they would give the warehouse owners the chance to explain their side when caught with questionable documents for their sugar supply.

"Binibigyan natin ng pagkakataon sumagot yung mga may hawak ng mga warehouses at saka yung mga consignees o yung may hawak ng asukal mismo, yung mga may ari. So hindi pa po tapos yung mga periods na yun. Hintayin po natin," she told Palace reporters.

(We are giving the owners the chance to respond to these allegations. The period to respond is still ongoing so we will wait.)

It was also unclear whether the seized sugar imports would be enough to correct the supply in the market. Cruz-Angeles earlier said government is looking into the possibility that the sugar supply shortage could be "artificial."

The inventory of sugar during their inspections would determine whether or not the country has enough sugar supply and if imports are needed.

"Kung hindi naman at mayroon naman pa lang asukal diyan pero for some reason hindi nailalabas legitmate or not, then at least makikita natin, makucompute natin kung tama ba yung pag-iimport natin at kung tama yung pag-compute natin sa importation natin," she said.

(If the sugar sacks are still in warehouses and are yet to be released, then we could know whether or not the computation for our importation was enough.)

'NO SHORTAGE'

Rosendo So, president of agriculture group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), said the country has enough sugar stocks for now.

During his recent meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., So said they would prioritize local sugar producers.

"Nakita natin wala talagang shortage. Nag-panic siguro ang lahat dahil nag-announce ang SRA na may kulang," he said in a televised briefing.

(There is no shortage. Maybe people panicked because the SRA announced that we have sugar shortage.)

"Pero sa ngayon, nakikita natin na maraming stocks talaga kaya wala tayong problema. Wala rin tayong nakita sa retailer na nawalan ng stocks. Ang nakita lang natin is tumaas ang presyo," he added.

(Right now, we can see that there is enough stocks that is why we do not have a problem. We also did not see any retailer that lost stocks of sugar but its price went up.)

Marcos earlier said he eyes importing 150,000 metric tons of sugar by October, with the Palace noting that stakeholders have agreed on the figure.

• Marcos says PH likely to import 150,000 MT of sugar in October as local supplies fall

Leading supermarkets, meanwhile, have agreed to bring down the cost of white sugar to P70 per kilogram from the high price of P90 to over P100/kilo but only until their supplies last.