Food exporters seek part of MAV quota

Leaders of the 300-strong Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization (Philfoodex) have appealed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to give a part of the minimum access volume (MAV) for sugar importation to food processors and manufacturers.

Jesus T. Tanchanco Sr., Philfoodex president, said it is not fair for the government to give the importation of sugar solely to sugar producers. "The importation of the commodity should also be given to producers and processors of sugar-containing products," he said.

"We only need fairness, justice and reasonableness. The government should help the sugar industry but not at the expense of thousands of food manufacturers, processors and food exporters, including farmers and fisherfolk who produce the raw materials used in food manufacturing and processing," Tanchanco said.

He said DA is committed to give Philfoodex a part of the MAV but the sugar producers’ group is pressuring the agency not to give them any, by feeding them (DA) the wrong information as regards the volume of sugar consumed by Philfoodex members.

"It is absolutely not true, as claimed by the sugar producers that food manufacturers and processors used only about six percent of sugar in the production of their products," Tanchanco said.

According to him, most Philfoodex members are in the confectionery and juice business where sugar is a major raw materials.

He said hard candies contain 99 percent sugar, chocolate candies and cookies, 45 percent; dried fruits, 50 to 70 percent; biscuit, 20; juices (ready to drink) 12 to 15; juice (nectars/concentrates), 32 to 68.7; preserved foods, 40 to 50; banana catsup, 25 to 30; and meat, such as tocino, 15 to 32 percent.

He said giving the sugar producers the monopoly to import sugar is "unfair and unjust to the larger segment of society where Filipino consumers will be at the mercy of sugar planters, millers and unscrupulous traders."

"The high cost of local sugar has been hurting the food processing and export industries as they try to survive the tough competition in the international market. Even the local retail outlets are filled with imported processed foods which are coming in at very low tariffs, so much so that many of the country’s food processors, particularly those in the confectionery and juice sectors, are being edged out of the market by cheap imports," he added.

Meanwhile, 10 more food manufacturing and processing companies have joined the Philfoodex. This was announced yesterday by Velia J. Cruz, Philfoodex vice president for internal affairs and chair of the group’s membership committee.

The new member-companies and their respective representatives to Philfoodex are Cater King Food Products (Jean De Puno), Carica Herbal Health Products, Inc. (Isabel Tan), Cormel Food (Camilo Abadilla), Go Tian Food Industries (Everson Go Tian), Mega Fishing Corp. (Paul Chua and Jake Simbulan), Uncle Ed’s Inc. (Pempy Morales), Republic Biscuits Corp. (Annie Moreno), CWW Cargo Express (Oscar Abenoja); F. Vitales Business Ventures (Ferminda Vitales) and Whitecap Southeast Asia, Inc. (Tito Gonzaga).

They were inducted recently by Philfoodex President Jesus T. Tanchanco Sr.

Philfoodex is the biggest umbrella organization of food manufacturers and exporters. The group, which to date has over 300 members, has strategic alliances with chambers of food manufacturers in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Negros, Baguio and other parts of the country.

Cruz said Philfoodex serves its members in various endeavors.