SRA Marks 39th Year; Sugar Output May Hit 2M Tons

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona described the current crop year as a positive one for the sugar industry, as the agency celebrated its 39th charter anniversary.

“It was a combination of intensive research and the hard work that you’ve all done that turned this crop year into a positive year,” Azcona said during the celebration at the SRA central office in Quezon City on Monday.

Azcona said recent field reports indicate that sugar production may breach the 2 million metric ton mark—exceeding the initial projection of 1.782 million metric tons and the pre-final estimate of 1.840 million metric tons.

“This is very surprising considering the challenges the sugar industry faced at the beginning of this crop year,” he said.

He noted that the industry had just emerged from a prolonged El Niño-induced drought, yet the sugarcane crop recovered well and sugar prices remained stable throughout most of the season.

Azcona credited part of the recovery to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to move the start of harvest from August to October 1.

He also cited the support of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who has continuously pushed the SRA to strengthen its research and development efforts.

“Our improved production also comes from a very responsive SRA,” Azcona said, praising employees for exceeding expectations and working as a cohesive system.

A major contributor to this year’s strong performance, Azcona said, was the large-scale production and distribution of high-yielding sugarcane varieties.

“Personally, I was not a believer of SRA varieties in the past, but without a doubt, we have produced high-quality cane varieties that increased our output,” he said.

He urged SRA personnel not to become complacent and to build on the momentum of this year’s gains.

“We have improved, we have shown that we can do it, and we can still do more,” he added.

During the event, Azcona, along with Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro and SRA Board Member Ma. Mitzi Mangwag, presented plaques to service awardees.

Awardees included Arnulfo Jacobe, Lucia Lopez, and Evelyn Estanislao (30 years); Marco Soriano (20 years); Jaime Cruz (15 years); and Jennifer Rose Boyero, Maria Victoria Del Mundo, and Marissa Tiu (10 years).