By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Confederation of Sugar Producers’ Associations (Confed) recently submitted several proposals to address challenges faced by the industry. The proposals were sent to Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Agriculture Secretary William Dar, and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board seeking to improve productivity, revisiting the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) and calling for restoration of the original P2 billion budget, and enhancing institutional and political structure
According to Confed spokesperson Raymond Montinola, there is an “imperative need for additional support on research and development, not only in developing and propagating new varieties that can withstand weather and soil challenges but on technology that can make farms more efficient.”
The association hopes to see expansion and support for the block farm program, where small farmers gain experience in managing larger farms; more mechanization; access to affordable government loans; mill upgrading and standardization; mobilizing “progressive sugarcane farmers;” and a review of SIDA, which was intended to promote competitiveness in the sugarcane industry and maximize the utilization of sugarcane resources.
Nicholas Ledesma, who heads the Negros-Panay chapter of Confed, said there have been numerous complaints from farmers regarding a reported difficulty in accessing SIDA programs.
“The need to streamline processes must be addressed urgently as this has led to underutilization of the SIDA fund which, in turn, hampers our plan to modernize and improve our productivity,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a separate resolution, Confed called on the Department of Agriculture to conduct a “performance audit” on SRA, including an “examination of its current organizational structure and capabilities,” along with ensuring “SRA performs its mandate.”/DGB, WDJ