By CESAR JOLITO III
The country’s major sugarcane federations have united to demand answers from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) over the sharp decline in sugar and molasses prices, warning that the industry’s viability — and its leadership culture — are both under serious threat.
In a rare joint statement, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) President Enrique Rojas and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (Panayfed) President Danilo Abelita backed the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) in calling for “transparency and decisive action” from the SRA amid what they described as a preventable market collapse.
“Sugarcane farmers deserve an explanation why sugar and molasses prices have dropped to levels much lower than last crop year’s opening,” NFSP and Panayfed said, echoing Confed’s earlier appeal.
Confed, in an open letter addressed to SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, blamed the “over-importation of sugar and molasses” for flooding the market and depressing mill gate prices.
It also raised concern over “the unmonitored influx of artificial sweeteners,” which it said has disrupted domestic demand and left producers struggling to find buyers.
“This situation is not simply an unfortunate market trend,” Confed President Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, Jr. said in a statement.
“It is the consequence of poor planning, lack of coordination, and failure to protect the industry from foreseeable risks,” he added.
The federations noted that prices have plunged from P2,800 to P2,700 per bag last crop year to just P2,200 to P2,300 as of last week — a P500 decline per bag, devastating for producers still recovering from rising input costs and pest infestations.
They added that as early as July, during a stakeholder meeting with SRA, the industry had already cautioned against excessive importation and recommended capping sugar imports at 150,000 metric tons — a warning they said went unheeded.
NFSP and Panayfed said the SRA owes the entire sector not just an explanation but concrete steps to stabilize prices and restore confidence in its leadership.
“Our planter-members and all sugar farmers deserve to know what tangible action the SRA will implement to remedy this sorry state of affairs,” the federations said.
Confed hits back Unifed
In a separate open letter titled “It’s Time To Speak Out” released on Sunday, October 12, Confed’s Valderrama went beyond economic concerns, alleging that internal power struggles and a “campaign of bullying and intimidation” are eroding the industry’s institutions.
Without naming specific entities in the government, Valderrama directly accused Manuel Lamata of the United Sugar Producers Federation of using personal attacks, fear and division to dominate industry discussions.
“He targets people personally, sowing fear in meetings, silencing experienced voices through harassment and humiliation,” Valderrama said in a statement.
“What’s most alarming is how long this behavior has been allowed to continue. Silence, fear and complicity have created a space where one person can systematically undermine decades of collective effort,” he added.
Valderrama urged sugar leaders and stakeholders to stand up against intimidation and reclaim integrity in industry governance.
“We owe it to the farmers, workers and consumers to foster a culture of respect, accountability and inclusion — not fear,” he said.
“No one, no matter how loud or connected, should be allowed to bully an entire industry into silence,” he added.
As sugar prices tumble and leadership tensions surface, the three major federations — Confed, NFSP and Panayfed — are calling for renewed unity among producers and a reexamination of how the SRA manages both market policy and stakeholder relations.
The federations said their common goal is not to sow division but to restore trust, ensure fair returns for farmers, and protect one of the country’s most vital agricultural industries from both external shocks and internal strife.
“This stops now,” Valderrama concluded.
“Let’s reclaim our voice — and with it, the future of sugar,” he concluded./CJ, WDJ