By CESAR JOLITO III

There is now strong evidence suggesting that Sugar Order (SO) No. 8, the controversial order that authorized the importation of 424,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar — was signed before the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) consulted with industry stakeholders, the Sugar Council (SC) revealed.

The SC, composed of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed), the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (Panayfed), said SO8 was dated June 28, 2025 — nine days before a scheduled Zoom consultation with SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona on July 7 this year.

According to the SC’s statement, the July 7 meeting was meant to discuss the appropriate importation volume to stabilize domestic supply while protecting mill gate prices at the start of the milling season.

During the meeting, the SC reportedly proposed an initial importation of 150,000 MT to be brought in by August, with additional imports to be decided after another consultation, depending on market conditions.

However, the SRA released SO8 just a day later, on July 8, 2025, authorizing the importation of 424,000 MT — almost three times the volume proposed by the SC — and setting the importation period from July 15 to November 30, 2025.

“This clearly shows that the order was already signed before any consultation took place,” the SC said.

“The meeting was merely held to give the appearance of stakeholder engagement,” it added.

The issuance of SO8 has drawn criticism from sugar producers in Negros and other major growing areas, who blame it for the sharp drop in mill gate prices of raw sugar at the opening of the 2025-2026 milling season on October 1.

While the SRA has since declared that there will be no further importations this year, the SC described this assurance as misleading.

“The promise of no more importation sounds good, but it is deceptive because importation has already been authorized,” the statement said.

“Too late the hero.”

Even after SO8 took effect, the SC sent a letter to Azcona on July 18, 2025, reiterating its recommendation to limit initial importation to 150,000 MT and warning that excessive imports would undermine local producers.

The latest supply and demand report from the SRA, as of September 28, 2025, shows that raw sugar inventory stands at 322,775 MT, while refined sugar inventory has reached 383,799 MT.

Of the 424,000 MT authorized under SO8, 197,307 MT have yet to arrive before the November 30 deadline./CJ, WDJ