Former Negros Occidental governor and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) head Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela questioned the Department of Agriculture’s positive assessment of sugar industry reforms, saying official production data show significant declines and billions of pesos in losses.
Coscolluela raised the issue in an interview on the sidelines of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing on sugar industry reforms in Quezon City on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
He was reacting to a July 24 DA press release titled “Sugar reforms boost supply, protect farmers, stabilize market nationwide.”
The DA credited reforms implemented by the SRA with stabilizing sugar supply, tempering price fluctuations, supporting farmers and improving market efficiency.
Coscolluela, however, said the government’s portrayal did not reflect the production figures recorded by the SRA.
“They praised themselves for balancing supply and demand, stabilizing prices and increasing production,” he said, adding “All of that is not based on data.”
SRA statistics as of July 5 showed that sugarcane milled declined from about 25.96 million metric tons in crop year 2024-2025 to 23.07 million metric tons in the current crop year.
The difference represents a decrease of about 2.89 million metric tons, or 11.1 percent.
Raw sugar production also fell from around 2.086 million metric tons to 1.848 million metric tons, a reduction of about 238,000 metric tons or 11.4 percent.
The figures broadly correspond with the comparative SRA table presented by Coscolluela during the interview, which showed nationwide cane and raw sugar output falling by more than 11 percent.
Coscolluela estimated that the decline in sugarcane volume resulted in around P2 billion in lost income for sugarcane cutters or tapaseros.
He also placed the estimated foregone revenue of sugar producers from the raw sugar production decline at around P10 billion.
“Where did the DA get that story?” Coscolluela asked.
“They fantasized that the last crop year produced good results for the sugar industry, but the opposite is true.”
He said the industry had suffered substantial losses and warned that the situation could worsen if the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation is not effectively contained.
Coscolluela stopped short of accusing the DA of deliberately concealing the industry’s condition.
“I cannot make that judgment,” he said, adding “We can say they were misinformed or misguided, but we do not want to judge. Look at the records and the actual data, and make your conclusion.”
The DA release did not provide comparative crop-year production figures and acknowledged that typhoons and El Niño had reduced local production.
It instead highlighted policies such as reserving locally produced sugar for the domestic market, calibrated importation, mechanization and incentives intended to support farmgate prices and maintain adequate supply.
The production decline was already anticipated by the SRA, which earlier lowered its raw sugar output forecast for crop year 2025-2026 to around 1.85 million metric tons because of RSSI and weather-related damage.
The DA has reported that RSSI affected 93,898 hectares nationwide, nearly all of them in the Visayas, and has allocated P35 million for chemicals and drone-assisted spraying while coordinating cash assistance for validated farmers.
Coscolluela said accurate government data are essential as Congress considers amendments to the Sugarcane Industry Development Act and reforms intended to make the industry more competitive, resilient and responsive to crises.*
[sibwp_form id=1]