Sugar Planters Urge DA, SRA Action on Prices

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – A sugar planters’ organization has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to address what it believes is an artificial decline in sugar prices.

The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) described the situation as “artificial pricing” in a statement provided to Daily Guardian on Friday.

“Somebody is playing with the market, and an immediate intervention to curb the downtrend in sugar prices is very much needed,” said UNIFED President Manuel Lamata.

Lamata noted a significant drop in milling prices, averaging a PHP 100 loss per 50-kilogram bag of sugar this week.

“We urge the DA and SRA to intervene as soon as possible and to unmask the culprits who are playing us,” Lamata said.

UNIFED suspects the pricing issue is caused by traders aiming for large profits at the expense of sugar farmers.

“While mill prices are dropping, retail prices remain constant and may even rise due to the holidays, which means more profit for them,” Lamata said.

He urged farmers to hold on to their sugar until prices stabilize, though he acknowledged this may be difficult for small farmers reliant on weekly sales.

“We may all need to tighten our belts so we will not be abused by these unscrupulous traders,” he added.

Last Thursday, mill prices averaged PHP 2,500 per bag of sugar, significantly lower than the PHP 2,800 per bag farmers hoped for to achieve a modest profit.

Since the start of the milling season, prices have fluctuated unpredictably, contrary to supply and demand figures, raising suspicions of market manipulation.

“We need the DA and SRA’s intervention to prop up sugar prices to a comfortable level and prevent further losses, especially now when there is also the issue of sugar purity being affected by the long drought,” Lamata said.

He suggested that if the government intervened by buying sugar directly from farmers and selling it to consumers, traders could be bypassed, stabilizing prices.

Lamata warned that the continued decline in prices could severely impact small farmers, who make up more than 80 percent of the industry’s producers.

“We fear this downtrend will have a severe impact on small farmers who are hoping for a better holiday season, especially with the increased costs of production due to the long drought,” he said.