By CESAR JOLITO III

The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) has raised alarm over what it describes as “excessive sugar importation” under Sugar Order No. 8, issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), warning that it could trigger a price slump at the start of the new milling season.

NFSP President Enrique Rojas said the federation initially agreed to the importation of 150,000 metric tons of sugar to stabilize domestic supply.

However, as of September 14, a much larger volume had already entered the country, exceeding what the industry stakeholders had endorsed.

“With a huge projected stock balance and the excessive importation under Sugar Order No. 8, sugar prices will suffer in the early months of the milling season,” Rojas said in a statement.

“Under such a scenario, additional importation will be suicidal to the sugar industry,” he added, noting that similar instances of over-importation in past crop years led to steep declines in millgate sugar prices and reduced income for planters.

Rojas reiterated that NFSP supports controlled importation — limited in both volume and timing — to ensure that locally produced sugar remains competitive and that farmers are not undermined by an influx of cheaper imported stock.

The federation also denounced what it called misleading media reports suggesting that NFSP had endorsed further importation due to crop damage caused by the red striped soft-scale insects (RSSI).

According to NFSP, the report “maliciously misrepresented” the group’s position, making it appear as though they had given blanket approval for importation solely because of the RSSI infestation.

“Our position has always been consistent — importation must be strategic, transparent and carefully calibrated,” Rojas emphasized.

“Any move to flood the market with imported sugar at the wrong time will harm our planters and distort the market,” he added./CJ, WDJ