BACOLOD City – The Negros-based National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) has commended the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for dedicating all projected sugar production for the 2024-2025 crop year to the domestic market, a move aimed at addressing the expected shortfall between domestic sugar production and demand.
NFSP president Enrique Rojas hailed the decision as a strategic response to anticipated production challenges linked to the prolonged El Niño phenomenon.
The SRA, under Sugar Order No. 1, Series of 2024-2025, projects a raw sugar production of 1.78 million metric tons for the crop year, which spans from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025.
This allocation comes in response to an estimated domestic demand of 2.2 million metric tons, indicating a potential deficit of over 400,000 metric tons.
The order, endorsed by Agriculture Secretary and concurrent SRA Board Chairperson Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., was also signed by key SRA board members, emphasizing a concerted effort to stabilize the sugar market for local consumers and producers.
The SRA’s mandate seeks to maintain a balanced relationship between sugar production and consumption needs, ensuring stabilized prices that are profitable to producers while fair to consumers. By classifying all domestic sugar as “B” sugar, intended solely for the domestic market, the administration aims to secure more favorable pricing for local producers compared to other market classifications.
Sugar in the Philippines is typically categorized at the start of each crop year into various classes: “A” for export to the United States, “B” for local consumption, “C” as reserve sugar, and “D” for export to other world markets.
Rojas expressed optimism that favorable weather conditions for the remainder of the crop year might help mitigate the projected production shortfall. The federation underscores the importance of this strategic allocation in supporting domestic sugar producers and consumers alike./PN
