NACUSIP questions SRA sugar export plan

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines –Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) and its allied organizations raised serious concerns over the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) plan to export 100,000 metric tons of sugar to the United States, calling for transparency, accountability, and long-term solutions for the struggling sugar industry.

In a press statement issued Wednesday, Jan. 14, NACUSIP-TUCP national president Roland C. de la Cruz said the proposed export program comes at a critical time as local sugar prices continue to decline and sugar farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries have been struggling since the start of the milling season in October 2025.

De la Cruz said there is still no publicly available sugar order outlining the framework and guidelines for the planned export of such a large volume.

“Why has the SRA not yet published the sugar order that will govern the export of such a significant volume? The lack of public disclosure raises questions about transparency and stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process,” de la Cruz said.

NACUSIP and its allies also questioned who will absorb potential losses if the export program proves financially unviable amid volatile global sugar prices.

The group further asked whether government funds will be used as subsidies and, if so, why similar support could not instead be directed to a government-financed domestic sugar buying program long advocated by labor and farmer groups.

They said several issues need clarification, including whether the sugar order will include an import replenishment ratio to offset exported volumes, which organizations or consortia will manage the export operations, and whether the initiative is a sustainable solution or merely a short-term response to falling prices.

NACUSIP also questioned the timing of the program’s rollout, noting that it is set to be implemented just days before the scheduled Congressional-Senate consultation on sugar industry issues on Jan. 23, 2026.

“Why rush to implement a sugar export program more than a week before the consultation? Is this hasty but long-delayed action meant to present a narrative that everything has already been done for the industry?” the group asked.

Elisama Gregorio, chairperson of the NACUSIP Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Council, said the delayed intervention has worsened the situation of farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries.

“Sugar farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries have been struggling for months. Earlier intervention could have alleviated some of the hardships faced by those who rely on this industry for their livelihood,” Gregorio said.

Gregorio also called on the Land Bank of the Philippines to grant a moratorium on penalties, interest, and other charges on loans of agrarian reform beneficiaries and their organizations, citing the difficulty of meeting loan obligations amid the current price slump.

NACUSIP-TUCP and its allied organizations urged the SRA and other concerned agencies to provide clear, timely, and comprehensive information on the proposed export program, stressing that the future of the Philippine sugar industry must be anchored on transparency, accountability, and sustainable policies that prioritize farmers and the national interest.