Sugar industry performing well amid pandemic: SRA exec

BACOLOD City – An official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is optimistic that the industry’s good performance amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic will be sustained.

SRA Board Member Emilio Yulo III, who represents the sugar planters, on Tuesday, expressed hope that the balance will continue during the Christmas season when the demand is traditionally heavy and continues towards the summer.

“We hope the situation continues, particularly when the weather gets hotter as it will contribute to improving the pureza (measure of sugar concentration) of our planters. Our tonnage this time is favorable,” Yulo said in a statement.

Yulo, who hails from Negros Occidental, noted that the industry this year posted about 50 percent higher than the previous crop year in terms of gross tons of canes milled.

Although the pureza, or the measure of sugar concentration, is a little bit lesser compared to last year, he said.

He added that even if the price of sugar fell to about PHP1,500 per 50 kilo-bag, “it is at least profitable to our producers as well as fair to our consumers”.

“We hope that all of these things will fall into place, so the agriculture sector will continue to deliver despite we are still in a pandemic,” the SRA official said.

Yulo credited the sugar industry’s good performance, particularly the milling speed, to the unhampered activities, particularly of the sugar centrals, which are mostly located in Negros Island.

“There has been no Covid-19 cases in the central. Also, there were no reports on sugarcane communities locked down in this milling season,” he said.

Yulo said that the “sacadas” or migrant sugarcane workers who tested positive for Covid-19, were just isolated cases. (PNA)