BACOLOD City – An official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) pushed for harmony in seeking long-term solutions for the industry as millgate sugar prices started to improve last week.
On Monday, January 19, Sugar Board Member David Andrew Sanson, who represents the planters, underscored the need for lasting actions that will “address production, pricing, marketing, and other challenges facing the sugar industry”.
“We are grateful that prices of sugar and molasses are going up since last week,” he said.
Sanson, who hails from the top sugar-producing province of Negros Occidental, said mills in the northern part of the province already showed significant increases, and those in the south are expected to follow the trend soon.
In last week’s bidding, sugar prices increased to P2,300 to P2,400 per 50-kilo bag, following more than three months of hovering in the P2,100 to P2,200 level.
Molasses prices also breached the P9,000-level from only P7,000 to P8,000 in the previous months.
Sanson said this is mainly due to the export program approved by the Sugar Board, which was planned since November last year, although some federations and other stakeholders did not agree with the move.
He recalled that certain groups insisted on their own version to have SRA and the Department of Agriculture declare that there would be no importation until December 2026, believing that prices would adjust.
“We have proven that their version was a total failure, thus we decided to move with our own program. Now, farmers are reaping the benefits of better sugar prices and molasses,” Sanson said.
He added that “the sugar industry cannot afford a repeat of what has happened in the past three months when prices were not even at break-even point for some farmers, particularly the small ones”.
“We must unite, work on a long-term plan to maintain equitable prices, be more open-minded, and set aside our differences for the good of the sugar industry,” he said. (PNA)
