The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has stated that, in response to expected supply shortages caused by pest infestations and weather disruptions, all of the country’s sugar production for the current crop year will be allocated for domestic consumption, reports Panay News.
In its Sugar Order No. 1, the agency projected that sugar output will fall by 7.9 percent to 1.92 million metric tons compared to the previous year. The crop year for sugar in the Philippines runs from September to August.
The SRA noted that the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), along with excessive rainfall in Negros, could affect the harvest. “The damage from RSSI is far worse than what we initially thought. We are hoping for recovery in the coming crop year,” said Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines.
Because of the reduced supply, all locally produced sugar will go to local consumption this year. The SRA issues a sugar order each crop year to determine how the production will be distributed. In recent years, the allocation has also been set entirely for the domestic market, as production has not been enough to meet demand. Importation has been used to cover the shortfall.
The last time the SRA allocated a share for export was in the 2020-2021 crop year, when 93 percent of output was given to the local market and 7 percent was reserved for the United States.
The RSSI, first detected in Luzon in 2022, can cut the sugar content of affected cane by up to half. The pest was first reported in Negros Occidental in May and has since spread to nearby areas, causing yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and shortened stalks.
To address the problem, the SRA has teamed up with the Hawaiian-Philippine Company to develop an organic, eco-friendly method to control the pest.
