A coalition of small-scale sugar farmers, agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), and workers in the sugarcane and ethanol industries called for an end to sugar importation ahead of a congressional hearing at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City this Friday.
During a press conference held by the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Council (NACUSIP ARBC) in Bacolod City on Wednesday, Jan. 21, the group also demanded the immediate removal of David Sanson from the Sugar Board.
A joint public consultation by the Senate and House of Representatives on the significant decline in millgate sugar prices will be held at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23.
In a press statement issued during the conference, the NACUSIP ARBC called for a formal investigation into why sugar importation was prioritized over the hard-earned harvests of local producers.
They also called for comprehensive amendments to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Charter.
“The collapse of the sugar industry is not an accident, it’s the direct result of reckless over-importation, unregulated entry of molasses, and indifference to the suffering of the real stewards of this land,” the statement said.
“The plummeting mill gate prices are a death sentence for small farmers and ARBs, who are being forced to harvest early, sell at a loss, and drown in debt just to survive. This is not mere policy failure, it is a betrayal,” it added.
They NACUSIP ARBC emphasized that they will attend the congressional hearing on Friday to demand genuine justice.
Their agenda includes calling for the full disclosure of the Sugar Board minutes and strict accountability for Sugar Order No. 8, as well as the replacement of Sanson with “a true champion of the oppressed.”
Beyond leadership changes, the coalition is pushing for amendments to the SRA Charter to better reflect the true makeup of the sugar industry.
They said that genuine reform must include board representation for small-scale farmers, ARBs, sugar field workers, sugar and ethanol mill workers, and legitimate consumer groups to ensure those who drive the industry’s progress have a voice.
“We demand that the government urgently implement a Sustainable Sugar Buying Program that guarantees a fair and stable floor price for our produce,” the group said, noting that ensuring a baseline price is the only way to protect them from further economic harm.
The coalition further called for the immediate release of emergency cash assistance to all ARB farmers in distress. Additionally, and an unconditional one-year moratorium on all penalties and interests for loans from the Land Bank of the Philippines for ARBs and cooperatives.*
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