The Sugar Regulatory Administration will put more focus on emerging technologies and research and development for a sustainable sugarcane industry.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said that this directive, pushed by Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel will hopefully make the sugar industry globally competitive and sustainable.
Azcona who represented Laurel at the opening of the 70th Philsutech Convention at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on Wednesday, August 14, said this will be possible as SRA moves to strengthen ties with foreign partners.
He cited delegates from Japan who were responsible for bringing in machineries and equipment to improve efficiency and productivity among farms and mills.
In his speech read by Azcona, the DA chief lauded Philsutech’s role in providing a platform for “emerging and innovative technologies that will shape a sustainable future of sugarcane agriculture.”
“Our biggest challenge is making farming profitable and the solution lies in embracing technology-based farming methods to optimize resource efficiency and lower costs of farm inputs,” Laurel added.
The agriculture secretary also directed SRA to expand the coverage of the Sugar Industry Development Act and include fuel subsidy, liming and fertilization programs, irrigation, inclusive farm-mechanization initiatives and establish a breeding program for high-yielding sugarcane varieties from other countries.
Azcona congratulated Philsutech for bringing together industry stakeholders to discuss the future of the sugar industry.
“Your presence is a testament of your love for our industry and by coming together despite our differences, show a resiliency that this industry has a bright future,” Azcona said, especially mentioning the big delegation from Bukidnon under the newly-formed Mindanao Sugar Federation.
Azcona also alluded to the absence of big sugar federations as he apologized to the delegates in behalf of Laurel who had to cancel engagements in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao because of a meeting in Malacañang.
“I was with Sec. Laurel last Tuesday and he was bent on coming but called me up early that his schedule has been changed because of a very important meeting. I am making that clear that he is not part of any movement to boycott Philsutech,” Azcona said.
Noticeably absent from the convention were leaders from the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers.
However, members of one of the biggest planters associations of NFSP, the Northern Negros Planters Association, were in full force to be with Romie Cortez of Sagay Central who was awarded the Don Carlos L. Locsin award for his valuable contribution in the sugar industry.
Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said “as sugarcane adapts to shifting seasons, we must also adapt to changes in technology and I hope this convention will serve as a platform to explore and harness digital technology for a brighter future of the sugar industry”.
Noli Segovia, Philsutech board president, said the industry has to remain viable and relevant and must have a competitive advantage in the region and globally.
“And through the years, I believe Philsutech has earned a place in the industry’s history for being a helping hand and having a vital role in the development of the sugar industry,” he said.*