FRANK Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pushed for a dialogue between the sugar industry stakeholders and the industrial users regarding the issue on the importation of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Carbon said a dialogue is important because while sugar planters, small planters, and workers and other stakeholders are complaining about the effects of the entry of HFCS, importers especially beverage companies are also helping the economy by providing employment and paying taxes.
“We are also informed that there is no provision as far as importation of HFCS as sweeteners is concerned because of the Asean Free Trade Agreement and there is no legal impediment to it,” Carbon said.
Considering this, a law must be passed to regulate the HFCS importation.
Carbon added that before, the industrial users were using 80 percent sugar and 20 percent imported sweeteners for their products, but now it has reversed to 20 percent locally-produced sugar and 80 percent sweeteners or HFCS.
“Maybe we could subject this matter to a dialogue. We could talk to the beverage companies to increase their consumption of locally produced sugar to minimize the impact of their importation of HFCS,” he said.
Carbon added that the MBCCI will soon come up with an official statement on the issue. (TDE)