ILOILO – Sugar mills in Panay Island were asked to open early for next milling season to address the impending shortage in supply of sugar in Western Visayas and the country as a whole.
The request was course through a resolution filed by Iloilo 3rd District Board Member Matt Palabrica and was approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) during Tuesday’s regular session.
There are three sugar mills operating in Panay Island namely the Central Azucarera de San Antonio (CASA) in Passi City and Universal Robina Corporation-Passi (URC-Passi) in San Enrique, both in Iloilo; and Capiz Sugar Central (CSC) in President Roxas, Capiz.
Palabrica cited that the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) anticipates sugar shortage before the opening of milling season for calendar year 2022-2023 which is estimated at about 300,000 metric tons, and some key players are agitating for immediate importation of sugar.
However, Palabrica stressed that the importation of sugar might not be manageable and will work against the interest of Filipino sugar farmers.
This, he added, will result to depressed local sugar prices and, thus, lower incomes for farmers, especially the small ones.
“The most logical, equitable and beneficial solution for all sectors in the industry would be an early start of the sugar milling season so that farmers can cash in their mature sugarcane crops and also increase the supply of sugar in the local market,” Palabrica underscored.
Last year, the official milling season started third week of October and it is expected to be the same this year.
“That is why we are requesting for an early start of milling season,” said Palabrica.
In Negros Occidental, the sugar mills have already vowed to reopen their mill operations before the official milling season in response to the call of Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer to allay fears of a sugar shortage in the country.
Palabrica said he is expecting and hoping the same response from the sugar mills in Panay.
It can be noted that the Typhoon “Odette,” climate change and high production cost due to oil and fertilizer price hikes are among the reasons for low production of sugar in Negros Occidental.
The province is the country’s top sugar-producer./PN
