JUST like any other of its branches, Coca-Cola plant in Tagbilaran City has temporarily shut down its operations due to almost zero sugar supply which some observers called it sugar crisis in the sugar-producing country.
To provide notice to its clients, the giant softdrink company put up a tarpaulin at its main gate at CPG Avenue Plant that reads, “This Coca-cola plant has suspended bottling operations due to the lack of supply of bottlers grade sugar as a result of on-going sugar crisis”
It was learned that not only Coca-cola is affected, all other competitors are also in bad shape due to lack of bottlers grade sugar, an ingredient in softdrink processing.
But over a month before the plant closure, supply shortage of most popular softdrink has been experienced by retailers and restaurants in the entire province.
Retailers are in quandary where have all the Coca-cola in bottled or in cans have gone as massive shortage struck the province.
A retailer of the softdrink, who asked anonymity, said that she almost got a fight because the wholesaler failed to deliver to her the ordered number of cases of the softdrink.
Another sari-sari store operator said that lately the number of the softdrink she ordered was reduced to a half because of insufficient supply arrived from Cebu city.
But all was not lost for a young coconut vendor who said in separate interview that her supply for the young coconut (Buko) juice has increased due to the demand of the drink as substitute of the Coca-cola softdrink.
The stoppage of Coca-cola plant’s operations was the first in 69 years since it was established in the city.
As this developed, the retail price of refined sugar in some Metro Manila markets is now pegged to P90 per kilo from over P100/kilo, report said. The drip in prices came after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed Sugar Order 2 allowing the importation of 150,000 metric tons of the sweetener. (rvo)
