The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has declared that all sugar produced in the Philippines for the crop year 2025-2026 will be allocated for the domestic market.
This means none of the country’s sugar will be sold to the U.S. or the world markets.
Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona made the announcement on Wednesday, August 13, during the 71st Philsutech (Philippine Sugar Technologists Association) Convention in Cebu.
He explained that despite an increase in sugar production beyond the 2 million metric tons mark, the country’s output still falls short of the 2.6 million metric tons domestic demand.
Azcona credited farmers in Mindanao as this year’s heroes of the sugar industry, attributing the biggest growth in production to the newly-formed sugar federation there.
“Mindanao will likely be our last frontier in our road towards sustainability,” he said. The new federation’s members, led by former Rep. Manuel Zubiri, marched along with industry leaders during the annual Philsutech convention for the first time.
As of July 27, the Philippines has produced 2.084 million metric tons of raw sugar. This was milled from nearly 26 million metric tons of sugarcane harvested from 405,000 hectares, with 392,000 hectares planted for sugar and 13,000 for bioethanol, Azcona said.
MILLING SEASON
The official start of the milling season is set for October 1, or the closest Monday to that date.
Azcona noted that since October 1 is a Wednesday, they may open the season on September 29. This follows a three-year transition to bring the start of the milling season back to the last quarter of the year.
Azcona thanked President Ferdinand Marcos for his support, stating the industry has progressed under his administration.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel and the SRA plan to request for an P8 billion budget for a three-year program focused on soil rejuvenation and small-scale irrigation across 160,000 hectares, Azcona said.
Another proposal seeks P1.2 billion to dedicate 20,000 hectares for the propagation of high-yielding variety plantlets, he added.
“Our productivity in the past three years was largely due to the distribution of high-yielding variety canes, and SRA intends to focus on this along with other scientific approaches to farming that we have been learning from our foreign partners towards our self-sustainability,” Azcona said.
Azcona said there are least two SRA international cooperation programs with Japan and Brazil and they are exploring more collaboration with other sugar producing countries, particularly on sugar cane varietal exchange and propagation.
VIGILANCE
Despite the positive outlook, Azcona called on farmers to remain vigilant against the Red Stripe Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation.
The pest has spread across more than 3,200 hectares in Negros Island and Panay, he said.
Azcona said that the actual affected area could be much higher and the full effects on sugarcane are not yet known. A study in Egypt showed that canes infected with RSSI can see up to a 50 percent drop in sugar content, Azcona said.
The SRA will soon begin testing the sugar content of affected canes, he added.
SIDA FUNDING
Azcona said the sugar industry may receive P1 billion from the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) fund next year.
However, industry stakeholders are pushing to amend the annual allocation from P2 billion to P5 billion, citing the significant contribution of the sugar industry to the national economy, he added.*