The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) downgraded its sugarcane crop estimate for crop year 2011-2012 to 2.242 million metric tons of raw sugar production from the initial estimate of 2.40 million metric tons.  It was reported by its field personnel and the constituents of the Mill District Development Committees (MDDCs), especially in Negros, that cane tonnage declined by around 18-20% compared to the previous crop year.

SRA observed that the rate of harvesting this crop year (September 2011 to August 2012) is faster compared to the previous crop year (September 2010 to August 2011) and harvesting will end early in the major sugarcane-producing provinces.  SRA has closely monitored the standing or remaining canes in the field and reports showed that milling will end early especially in Negros. 

The figure of cane production reported by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (DA-BAS) in year 2011 (January to December) is 28.38 million metric tons cane while the record of SRA shows that for the current crop year 2011-2012 (September to December), only 8.02 million metric tons cane was milled.  The 2011 report of DA-BAS which is based on an annual year actually covers the partial production figures of two succeeding crop years (crop years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012).
“Sugar production  is not reckoned on a calendar year basis as this will mislead us in estimating our actual sugar production for the entire cropping cycle of sugarcane”, Administrator Martin said. 

In the agriculture sector, production reports and performance in agriculture being reported by the DA-BAS are used for the national statistics and for budgetary purposes, so these are based on a calendar year.

Administrator Martin further states, “I hope that the sugarcane production figures reported by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) which are based on a calendar year would not be misconstrued to be the same as the SRA report which is based on the cropping cycle of sugarcane”.