Sugar Crop Year Ends on a High Note

Sugar produced this crop year is expected to end higher by almost five percent at 1.837 million metric tons from the initial estimate of 1.782 million MT.

Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said we are currently at 1.815 million tons of sugar produced, and despite the low sugar producer per ton of cane (LKGTC), we attribute the production to the increase in sugarcane tonnage per hectare planted.

Visayas accounts for the biggest share produced at 71% of the total production with Negros Island accounting for 63% of total produce, Panay with 6.3 % and the rest coming from the Cebu and Leyte plantations.

Mindanao, which is touted to be the next frontier for the sugar industry, is estimated to end the crop year with almost 24% of the country’s produce, and Luzon contributing almost 5% of the total production.

Azcona said their initial estimate was quite low as “this was based on the health and assessment of the sugarcane after the extreme El Niño.”

“We are ending on a positive note, and we can attribute this to the effort of this administration to prioritize research through development and propagation of new SRA sugarcane varieties, improving soil condition, irrigation, and even changing the sugarcane cropping calendar to better suit the climate, are now paying off.

Additionally, Azcona said it's the administration's thrust to help stabilize prices since 2022

He added that “fair farm gate prices encouraged farmers to risk replanting their El Niño damaged canes, using new SRA varieties as they were hopeful that prices would eventually make up for the very high cost of production.”

In fact, “fair prices are also encouraging new farmers to plant sugarcane,” he added.
“We hope next milling we will get huger tonnage and most importantly, more sugar per ton of cane (LKGTC), “ he added. Mindanao has the highest average LkgTC at 1.74 while Negros is averaging 1.65 and Panay and Luzon at 1.54.

URC La Carlota Sugar Mill has ended their milling season with Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar 
Company (BISCOM), and URC SONEDCO is expected to close this week.