The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Finance – Bureau of Customs signed a Deed of Donation and Acceptance for the 4,000 metric tons (MT) of white refined sugar to be sold at various KADIWA markets and stalls, starting August 2023.
The sugar, shipped from Thailand was seized at the Port of Batangas last April for lack of the required Notice of Arrival document. It was later cleared for donation and consumption based on the guidelines specified in the DA-Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Memorandum Circular No. 4, series of 2022-2023 as well as the Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The said move is in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address the rising prices of basic commodities—particularly sugar—and achieve national food security. ### (photos by Adonis Buhayan, DA-AFID)
