In a recent announcement, the Philippine government has decided to postpone sugar imports until mid-2025, citing a stable domestic supply of both raw and refined sugar. This decision was reached by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona during a meeting at the Department of Agriculture’s central office in Quezon City on November 7, 2024.
Secretary Tiu Laurel emphasized that the current supply situation does not necessitate immediate imports, as the domestic stock of sugar is sufficient to meet projected demands. The decision to delay importation until after the harvest season, which concludes in May or June 2025, was made in light of the stable supply.
Azcona, who comes from Negros Occidental, the nation’s leading sugar-producing province, noted that the current harvest season began slowly. He attributed this to a lower sugar content per ton of cane, a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Farmers have had to delay their harvests to allow the cane to mature further and increase its sugar content.
Data from the SRA indicates that the cane has been physiologically immature due to prolonged dry spells caused by El Niño, leading to a 16 percent decrease in sugar content per ton of cane. Despite an increase in planting areas from 388,378 hectares last year to 389,461 hectares this year, sugar production for the 2024-2025 crop year is expected to be 1.782 million metric tons, a 7.2 percent decrease from the previous year’s output as outlined in Sugar Order No. 1.