The Department of Agriculture (DA) has defended its move to import 200,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar and 200,000 MT of galunggong, saying that its attached agencies’ data showed supply deficiency of sugar and fish nationwide. DA Sec. William Dar disclosed that the agency was able to predict supply deficiencies with the help of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) data.

Argosino, F. (2022, February 20). Supply shortage prompts sugar, galunggong importation - DA. Manila Bulletin, pp. 1, 6.