MANILA, Philippines — The country’s sugar industry is facing pressure from both inside and outside the farm gate: long-standing problems in productivity and milling efficiency on one hand, and a fast-growing market for sugar substitutes on the other — a mix that lawmakers and regulators say now requires closer scrutiny. Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed Senate Resolution No. 298 seeking a Senate inquiry into the challenges confronting the Philippine sugar sector and calling for a review of the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) charter and the Sugar Industry Development Act of 2015 (SIDA). Hontiveros cites declining competitiveness, high production costs and […]... Keep on reading: Sugar substitutes surge fuels call for Senate probe