No sugar shortage, price hike in ARMM - DTI official

COTABATO CITY – There is no shortage of sugar supply and sharp price hike of such commodity in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, officials of the ARMM’s trade and industry department assured Monday.

Lawyer Asnaira Batua, ARMM-Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secretary, in her report to acting Regional Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong, said the five-province and two-city region has a buffer stock of sugar enough to last for at least three months.

“We have enough supply of sugar in the region. While the demand is high and there’s no price increase,” Batua assured amid reports of sugar shortage and sharp price hikes in other parts of the country.

She said the component areas of ARMM are “not really affected” by sugar price hike, citing the situation in Maguindanao the stuff’s price is low due to low transportation or freight cost. The local cost of white sugar cost is P45 per kilo gram while brown sugar is P34 a kilo, she added.

In Lanao del Sur, Batua said, the province's sufficient sugar supply come from Iligan and Bukidnon and is sold at P46 per kilo for white sugar and P54 per kilo for brown.

The DTI-ARMM official assured that her field personnel have been closely monitoring sugar supply and prices in different establishments in the region in coordination with the Local Price Monitoring Councils of the local government units (LGUs).

Batua said that in the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi there is enough supply of sugar. “They’re supply come from Sabah”. In Jolo, Sulu white sugar cost P52, brown sugar cost P40 per kilo while in Tawi-Tawi, white cost P40 and brown cost P50 per kilo.

In Basilan, Batua said brown sugar cost P48 while white sugar cost P55/ kilo.

Meanwhile, Batua said there is no report on any violation on overpricing of cement in the region.

The young secretary who is also a lawyer appealed to all consumers in the region to be vigilant and immediately report to DTI office and law enforcers on any irregularity on the product and if its overpriced. (bpi-armm)