SRA exec urges unity, long-term sugar reforms

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – A senior official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) called on sugar farmers and federations to unite and pursue long-term solutions to address persistent production, pricing, and marketing challenges in the sugar industry.

SRA Board Member David Sanson, representing the planters’ group, said cooperation among stakeholders is critical to stabilizing the sector and protecting farmers’ welfare amid volatile market conditions.

“We are grateful that prices of sugar and molasses are going up since last week with the northern mills showing significant increases and we hope that the southern mills will soon follow the trend,” Sanson said in a statement provided to local media in Bacolod City.

Sanson said last week’s bidding price rose to PHP 2,300–PHP 2,400 per 50-kilogram bag, while molasses prices breached PHP 9,000 per metric ton after more than three months of trading at around PHP 2,100–PHP 2,200.

He attributed the recent price recovery largely to the export program approved by the Sugar Board, noting that the plan had been crafted as early as November.

“This was planned as early as November but some federations and other stakeholders did not agree with the program,” Sanson said.

Instead, he said these groups pushed for a different approach, urging the SRA and the Department of Agriculture to declare a no-importation policy until December 2026 in the belief that prices would self-correct.

“We have proven that their version was a total failure, thus we decided to move with our own program that they disagreed with and now, farmers are reaping the benefits of better sugar prices and molasses,” Sanson said.

He warned that the industry cannot afford a repeat of the past three months when prices fell below break-even levels, particularly for small-scale farmers.

“We cannot, must not, sacrifice our planter-members welfare just because some have their own agenda. We must unite, work on a long term plan to maintain equitable prices, be more open-minded and set aside our differences for the good of the sugar industry,” Sanson said.

Sanson also urged mill districts to strengthen cooperation with the SRA in addressing the spread of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), a pest that has affected sugarcane productivity in several areas.

“We have mills that are actively helping in the production of fungicides that have been effective in eradicating the pests and distribute these to their farmers, but we need the support of all mills and even local government units in sugar producing areas,” he said.

As the SRA official overseeing research and development, Sanson said the agency has both the technology and manpower to deploy teams to mill districts to train workers and farmers.

“We also have been distributing fertilizers to several mill districts already and more to come to help mitigate the effects of RSSI,” he added.