Sugar production to rise 5% more than initial estimate, says SRA
Sugar production is expected to be almost five percent higher than the initial estimate despite the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said Monday.
In a statement, SRA predicted that sugar production could reach 1.837 million metric tons (MT), higher than the initial estimate of 1.782 million MT.
SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said that despite the low sugar producer per ton of cane (LKGTC), production is attributed to the increase in sugarcane tonnage per hectare planted.
The country currently has 1.815 million tons of sugar produced. The biggest share is from Visayas, with 71% of the total production.
This was followed by Negros Island (63%) and Panay (6.3%), while the rest came from Cebu and Leyte.
SRA also noted that Mindanao is expected to end a crop year with almost 24% of the country's produce, while Luzon will contribute nearly 5%.
Azcona said SRA's initial estimate was low due to the 'health and assessment of the sugarcane' following the El Niño, which hit the country from 2023 to 2024.
'We are ending on a positive note and we can attribute this to the effort of this administration in helping stabilize prices since 2022,' Azcona said.
'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,' he added.
Azcona also said fair prices have encouraged new farmers to plant sugarcane.
Mindanao currently has the highest average LkgTC at 1.74 while Negros is averaging 1.65 and Panay and Luzon both hitting 1.54.
Azcona said the SRA's thrust to prioritize research is "now paying off."
This includes the development and propagation of new sugarcane varieties, improving soil conditions, irrigation, and changing the sugarcane cropping calendar. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
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