THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has assured that the sugar industry remains stable, with a sufficient domestic supply and steady prices, even as the country prepares to export over 66,000 metric tons of sugar to the United States this April.
At the Bagong Pilipinas interview on Wednesday, April 2, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the prices of sugar slightly increased but remained almost stable for the past two years.
“‘Yung supply natin ng raw sugar or brown sugar and refined sugar or white sugar ay sapat sa ngayon and harvest season pa po ngayon,” he said.
He added: “Sa presyohan po, ang presyo sa farmers natin tumaas siya and nasa level siya more or less the same as last year. At the same time po, however, ‘yung retail natin ng raw sugar or brown sugar ay bumaba in terms of prices.”
Azcona said the price of raw or brown sugar has decreased by 11 percent and is now at P73, washed sugar has decreased by 12 percent and is now at P76, while refined sugar has decreased by 1 percent and is now at P86.
He said the agency observed a drop in the industry demand for refined sugar by almost 4 percent.
“‘Yung demand natin sa imported bumaba ng 32 (percent), as a whole, bumaba ng 4 percent. Itong pagbaba na-notice namin, this started when tumaas ‘yung price ng sugar noong 2022 August, as a whole, dropped by 4 percent,” Azcona said.
He said that while the demand for sugar dropped, demand for sugar alternatives increased.
Sugar export
Amidst stable local supply, the Philippines is set to export sugar to the United States under a voluntary program.
Azcona said the export process follows Sugar Order No. 2, requiring exporters or importers to first purchase locally produced sugar before receiving an equivalent allocation, and is therefore performance-based.
He said this system ensures that local farmers benefit while maintaining a sufficient domestic stock.
“So sa ngayon na pag-usapan na ‘yung 66,235 (metric tons), hinihintay na lang po ng SRA ‘yung update ng mga exporters sa barko nila at sa schedule po nila,” he said.
Azcona said this year’s shipment has been scheduled earlier to avoid last year’s delays, which led to penalties due to quality issues.
He added exporting freshly milled sugar during peak production months ensures better quality and compliance with US standards. (PNA)
