By CESAR JOLITO III
Lawmakers in the Negros Island Region (NIR) called for immediate and decisive intervention from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) over the sharp and continuing decline of sugar prices, which could place the livelihoods of thousands of sugarcane farmers in jeopardy.
In a joint statement, Negros Occidental Representatives Julio Ledesma IV (1st District), Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District), Javi Benitez (3rd District), Jeffrey Ferrer (4th District), Emilio Bernardino Yulo III (5th District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District), and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, as well as Negros Oriental Representatives Emmanuel Iway (1st District), Maisa Sagarbarria (2nd District) and Janice Degamo (3rd District), warned that the decline in sugar prices could have far-reaching effects on rural economies, social stability and food security in NIR — the country’s top sugar-producing area.
The lawmakers said the mill gate price of sugar had dropped to around P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag, about P300 lower than the estimated cost of production.
“Farmers are struggling to recover even their basic production costs,” the statement read.
“If left unchecked, this price collapse could worsen poverty in sugar-dependent communities, where more than 60 percent of households rely on sugarcane as their main or supplementary source of income,” they added.
The lawmakers urged the SRA to provide a transparent and data-driven explanation for the sudden price slump, including possible links to recent importation policies, pest infestations or fluctuations in market demand.
They also called on relevant government agencies and industry stakeholders to act swiftly and in coordination to cushion the impact of the price drop and restore stability in the sugar industry.
Negros Occidental, which produces nearly half of the country’s total sugar output, stands to bear the brunt of the downturn.
Lawmakers warned that unless urgent steps are taken, the effects could ripple through thousands of families dependent on sugar farming for income and employment.
“We cannot allow our farmers to shoulder the burden of market shocks and policy lapses. The sugar industry is the lifeblood of Negros — protecting it is protecting the livelihood and dignity of our people,” the statement concluded.
The steep drop in the mill gate price of sugar to P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag has sent shockwaves across the NIR, with sugar planters, labor groups and lawmakers demanding an immediate explanation from SRA amid growing fears of economic fallout.
As of October 9, mill gate prices in major sugar centrals — Victorias Milling Company (P2,260), Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (P2,260), Lopez Sugar Central (P2,257), and Universal Robina Corporation’s mills in the cities of Kabankalan and La Carlota (P2,270 and P2,251.72, respectively) — fell well below the P2,500 average cost of production, sparking anger among producers who say they are now operating at a loss.
Prices drop a ‘no-no’
“This is unacceptable,” Yulo, a former SRA board member, said in an earlier statement.
“We need an explanation from SRA on why this happened barely a month after the start of the milling season. Allowing prices to fall below production costs is a no-no,” he added.
Yulo said he plans to raise the issue in Congress this week, calling on SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona to explain the agency’s pricing and importation policies.
In Himamaylan City, Vice Mayor Justin Silos Gatuslao, himself a planter, said small producers are now “barely surviving” as fertilizer prices remain at P1,800 to P2,000 per bag.
“I pity our small planters. Many of them are losing hope,” Gatuslao said, adding that he will file a city council resolution urging the national government to intervene.
Labor groups fear that the price slump will lead to mass layoffs in Negros haciendas ahead of the Christmas season.
NIR is home to roughly 150,000 hacienda workers and thousands more agrarian reform beneficiaries who depend on sugarcane farming as their primary livelihood./CJ, WDJ