Sugar importation deferred ‘until after May’ 2025 – gov’t execs

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The government will delay sugar importation “until after May” next year to thoroughly assess the country’s supply as existing stocks are sufficient to meet the demand for the sweetener.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona agreed to defer its decision on sugar importation until mid-2025 to “gain a clearer understanding of domestic supply” after the conclusion of the current crop year’s harvest.

In a statement issued by the Department of Agriculture (DA) over the weekend, Tiu Laurel said there is no immediate need to import more sugar as the country has ample to meet projected needs.

“Our supply for both raw and refined sugar [is] stable and we are just beginning our harvest season, so [Sec. Tiu Laurel] and I agree to delay the decision on sugar imports until after harvest sometime in May,” according to Azcona.

“Given the current situation, Administrator Azcona and I agreed that a decision on sugar importation could be delayed until after May when the current harvest season ends,” Tiu Laurel said.

In the Philippines, the sugar crop year usually begins in September and ends in August of the following year.

Tiu Laurel and Azcona arrived at this decision as sugar farmers started the harvest season at a slower pace as the El Niño-induced dry spell severely affected their crop yields.

READ: Locally produced sugar still insufficient to meet demand, says SRA

Azcona noted that total cane volume reached only one-third of the amount harvested around the same period in the last crop year which he attributed to lower sugar content per ton of cane.

“Farmers had to delay their harvests to allow the cane to mature further and increase sugar content,” Azcona said.

Prolonged dry spells made sugarcanes “physiologically immature,” according to the SRA, with the sugar content per ton of cane decreasing by 16 percent. As a result, it slashed sugar output even if planting areas increased.

Per SRA data, the area planted for sugar cane this year rose slightly to 389,461 hectares from 388,378 hectares the previous crop year.

READ: Philippines can finally export raw sugar to US

The SRA projected sugar production to hit 1.782 million metric tons for the crop year 2024-2025, owing to the anticipated negative effect of the El Niño phenomenon.

Similarly, the US Department of Agriculture pegged raw sugar production at 1.85 million MT for the marketing year 2025, slightly higher than the SRA’s estimate, because of the expansion in area planted and improvements in weather conditions.

So far, the country produced 43,941 MT of raw sugar as of Oct. 13, declining by 79.83 percent from 217,815 MT in the same period last year, figures from the SRA showed.

Refined sugar output hit only 995.65 MT, plunging by 97.49 percent from 39,672.60 MT.

Sugar prices are cheaper in Metro Manila from a year ago. Refined sugar retailed from P74 to P90 per kilogram as of Nov. 7, lower than P80 to P110 per kg, based on the DA’s price monitoring.

Brown sugar was priced from P70 to P90 per kg compared to P65 to P96 per kg.