The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, lauded Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona for allocating all the country’s projected sugar production for Crop Year 2024-2025 for the domestic market.
The SRA projects total raw sugar production for Crop Year 2024-2025 at 1.78 million metric tons “due to anticipated negative effect of the prolonged El Niňo phenomenon; unless the La Niňa phenomenon brings about an increase in production”, Sugar Order No. 1 , Series of 2024-2025 released by the SRA on Monday, September 9, states.
Total domestic raw sugar withdrawal for Crop Year 2024-2025 is estimated at 2.2 million MT, according to SRA, implying a shortfall of more than 400,000 MT, in terms of projected domestic production versus demand.
“With the expected shortfall of domestic sugar production versus the estimated domestic demand, it is a good move on the part of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to allocate all domestic sugar production as ‘B’ sugar for the domestic market,” NFSP President Enrique Rojas said.
“Our Federation appreciates this move by the SRA allocating all domestic production for the domestic market, which traditionally brings a more favorable price for producers, compared to other classifications of sugar.” he said.
Rojas said they are hoping that the weather for the rest of the crop year will be favorable to give farmers an opportunity to recover the projected production shortfall, Rojas said.
To “establish and maintain a balanced relationship between sugar production and the requirements of sugar, and to maintain such marketing conditions as will ensure stabilized prices at levels reasonably profitable to the producers and fair to consumers”, the sugar order declared that all domestic sugar production will be classified as “B” sugar, which is intended for the domestic market.
The sugar order was approved by Agriculture Secretary and concurrent SRA Board Chairperson Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and bears the signatures of Undersecretary Roger V. Navarro as Alternate Ex-Officio Chairperson, Azcona as SRA Administrator and CEO, and SRA Board Members Ma. Mitzi V. Mangwag (Millers’ Representative) and David Andrew L. Sanson (Planters’ Representative).*