By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Following the conclusion of the current crop year’s harvest, the Philippines will delay its decision on sugar importation until mid-2025.
The decision was reached in a meeting between Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. and Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona on Thursday (Nov. 7).
Sec. Tiu Laurel cited the sufficient and stable domestic supply of both raw and refined sugar to meet projected needs as a reason for postponing the commodity’s importation.
“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,” he said.
“Our supply for both raw and refined sugar is stable and we are just beginning our harvest season, so Sec. Laurel and I agreed to delay the decision on sugar imports until after harvest sometime in May”, Azcona explained.
The prolonged dry spells brought by El Niño resulted in the cane being physiologically immature, resulting in a 16% lower sugar content per ton of cane and consequently constraining sugar output despite an increase in planting areas. Per SRA data, the area planted with sugar cane this year increased slightly to 389,461 hectares, up from 388,378 hectares the previous crop year.
The SRA has estimated this year’s sugar production at 1.782 million, a 7.2% drop, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts a 3.6% decline in Philippine raw sugar production for the current crop year. The American forecast has output falling to 1.85 million metric tons from 1.92 million metric tons in the previous crop year.
The current crop year ends in August next year.
-iro