PH Sugar Output Up Over 5% This Crop Year

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — The Sugar Regulatory Administration said sugar production for this crop year is projected to end nearly 5 percent higher at 1.837 million metric tons, up from the initial estimate of 1.782 million metric tons.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in a press statement Monday that the country has already produced 1.815 million metric tons of sugar.

“Despite the low sugar yield per ton of cane (LKGTC), we attribute the higher output to increased sugarcane tonnage per hectare planted,” Azcona said.

The Visayas accounts for the bulk of production at 71 percent, with Negros Island contributing 63 percent, Panay 6.3 percent, and the remainder from Cebu and Leyte plantations.

Azcona noted that Mindanao, touted as the next frontier of the sugar industry, is expected to contribute nearly 24 percent of national production, while Luzon will account for about 5 percent.

He said the agency’s initial projections were conservative due to damage caused by the extreme El Niño.

“We are ending on a positive note, and we can attribute this to the administration’s efforts in prioritizing research and development,” he said.

He cited the propagation of new SRA sugarcane varieties, improvements in soil conditioning and irrigation, and adjustments to the sugarcane cropping calendar to better suit changing climate conditions.

Azcona added that these strategies have helped stabilize prices since 2022.

“Fair farm gate prices encouraged farmers to replant El Niño-damaged canes using new SRA varieties, hopeful that prices would eventually cover high production costs,” he said.

“Fair prices are also attracting new farmers to enter sugarcane planting,” he added.

“We hope that in the next milling season, we’ll have higher tonnage and, more importantly, better sugar yield per ton of cane,” Azcona said.

Mindanao recorded the highest average LKGTC at 1.74, followed by Negros at 1.65, and Panay and Luzon at 1.54.

URC La Carlota Sugar Mill has ended its milling season, while Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) and URC SONEDCO are expected to close this week.