Philippines : Sugar farmers, workers alarmed over artificial sweeteners
Sugar farmers and workers in the Philippines expressed concern over the rising import and use of artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium, which displace locally produced sugar. These substitutes, enjoying zero tariffs under ASEAN agreements, undermine the competitiveness of domestic sugar.
BACOLOD City – Sugar farmers and industry workers expressed alarm over the unregulated entry and use of artificial sweeteners in the country, adding that these sugar substitutes displace a substantial volume of sugar in the domestic market.
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., concurrent chairman of the Sugar Board, the Sugar Council and the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) jointly raised their “serious concern over a matter of great consequence to the future of the sugarcane industry – the importation and use of artificial sweeteners”.
The three most popular artificial sweeteners used in beverage manufacturing are sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Scientific data disclosed that sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar, while aspartame and acesulfame potassium are 200 times sweeter than sugar.
The letter also said that records of the Philippine Statistics Office reveal that importation of these three artificial sweeteners have risen from 950,989 kilograms(kgs) in 2022 to 1,100,783 kgs in 2023.
The importation of sucralose registered at 267,567 kgs in 2022 to 433,775 kgs in 2023, aspartame at 416,662 kgs to 631,767 kgs, and acesulfame potassium at 266,760 kgs to 2,241 kgs.
“In view of all these, we seek your help in providing us data on the impact of these artificial sweeteners on the consumption of locally produced sugar. The question is begged: How much locally produced sugar was displaced by 433,775 kgs of sucralose in 2023 or by 631,767 kgs of aspartame?” the group inquired.
“And if we involved all artificial sweeteners imported into the country in 2023, including fructose syrup, which is used in non-beverage products, we need to know how much locally produced sugar was displaced by 20,161,667 kgs of artificial sweeteners?” the Sugar Council and NACUSIP further asked.
Moreover, they pointed out that sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium enjoy zero tariff under the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) Trade in Goods Agreement, compromising the ability of locally produced sugar to compete in the market, especially in the face of rising production costs.
At the labor front, the group is worried that displacement of locally produced sugar by artificial sweeteners could result to widespread displacement of sugarcane farm workers, sugar mill workers, and biofuel workers, as well as the degradation of the livelihood of families of agrarian reform beneficiaries.
The government, the group said, will have its hand full addressing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of workers and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) whose livelihoods are dependent on sugar production from locally grown sugarcane.
They also aired their apprehension over the future of children and dependents of industry workers and small farmers, who enjoy scholarships and other socio-economic benefits under the Social Amelioration Program funded by liens from locally produced sugar.
Source Link : https://www.panaynews.net/sugar-farmers-workers-alarmed-over-artificial-sweeteners/
