Carinderia and store owners on Thursday urged authorities to act on the sugar shortage in the country as low supply of softdrinks and sweetened beverages are hurting their sales.
The Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners Inc. made the remark after the makers of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and RC Cola said they were facing a shortage in premium refined sugar, a key ingredient in many of their products.
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According to PASCO president Cristina Constantino, small-time vendors have been noticing fewer deliveries of soft drinks since last week, with wholesalers even telling them to expect the situation to continue for at least three months.
"Talagang malaki ang epekto sa kinikita ng aming mga tindahan at sa aming pangkalahatang kabuhayan ang kakulangan ng sapat na produktong mabenta sa aming mga suki at mamimili," Constantino said.
Constantino said more than half of their membership shut down their businesses in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many still closed in 2021. This year would've been their chance to fully reopen their businesses, but the shortage in soft drinks and other beverages has posed a new challenge for many of them.
"Kung kaya nais naming iparating sa mga kinauukulan ang aming sitwasyon, at kung maaari po sana ay magawan ng solusyon sa lalong madaling panahon ang kakulangan ng produktong inumin dulot ng kakulangan sa asukal," Constantino said.
"Para na rin po ito sa aming kabuhayan at kinabukasan ng aming pamilya," she added.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he was hoping to "come to an agreement" with industrial consumers of sugar to see if there's a need to import additional supplies of the sweetener as expressed concern about the situation of soft drink manufacturers and other businesses relying on the commodity.
"We will come to an arrangement with the industrial consumers, with the planters, the millers, suppliers of the sugar to coordinate para talaga kung ano yung mayroon, kung ano yung available, mailabas na sa merkado," Marcos told reporters.
"Yung kulang, kunin na natin. Mag-import na tayo. Mapipilitan talaga tayo," he added.
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