By CESAR JOLITO III

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) have approved an extension of the nationwide moratorium on molasses importation until March 30, 2026, citing the need to stabilize prices and protect local producers amid a continuing domestic oversupply.

The extension effectively prolongs Molasses Order No. 1, first issued in September, which suspended the entry of imported molasses until the end of 2025 following a sharp drop in farmer prices.

A 21-percent increase in production last milling season, combined with existing imported stocks, dragged prices down by nearly half to below P10,000 per metric ton in early November.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the agency’s board deemed the extension necessary, as current local inventory remains high at around 250,000 metric tons — considered more than sufficient for domestic demand.

Azcona added that milling operations that began on October 1 in Negros Island have already produced close to 84,000 metric tons of molasses as of November 9, further adding to available supply.

“Based on the recommendation of the SRA, and in the interest of our farmers and millers, Administrator Azcona and I have agreed to extend the moratorium on molasses imports until March 30, 2026 — or further, depending on local stock levels,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said.

Azcona noted that even with the ban in place, millers’ storage tanks remain full.

“The extension will help relieve our millers’ tanks of local stock and, hopefully, support better molasses prices,” he said./CJ, WDJ