Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. — INQUIRER FILES
BACOLOD CITY — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered a halt to the importation of feedstock — including molasses, sugar, sugarcane, and sugar syrups — for bioethanol production to protect the domestic sugar industry and local farmers.
Laurel, in Sugar Order No. 4, Series of 2025-2026 dated May 22 this year but released to the media on Thursday, June 25, said the directive introduces a strict prohibition to correct a long-standing policy gap.
The amendment explicitly addresses loopholes found in the original Sugar Order No. 14, Series of 2008-09, which had previously allowed for the importation of molasses, sugar, sugarcane, and sugar syrups for use as feedstock in manufacturing bioethanol subject to Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) regulation.
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