By CESAR JOLITO III

The continued collapse of sugar prices is tightening its grip on Negros Occidental, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of small farmers and farmworkers and raising fears of broader economic and social consequences on sugar-dependent communities in the province.

Local leaders and industry groups warned that unless immediate interventions are implemented, the crisis could push many small planters below survival levels, further weakening the province’s economy, where sugar remains the primary driver of employment and commerce.

Fifth District Representative Emilio “Dino” Yulo called on sugar stakeholders to stop internal disputes and act swiftly to stabilize prices, stressing that small farmers can no longer endure prolonged inaction.

“We don’t need bickering or debates. We need immediate results,” Yulo said, urging the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to implement measures to arrest the downward spiral of sugar prices.

He said price improvements should be evident within days to provide relief to struggling farmers.

Yulo noted that small planters — many of whom are agrarian reform beneficiaries — have already been battered by pest infestations, rising production costs and destructive calamities.

With prices now falling below break-even levels, he warned that many farmers can barely sustain their families.

“The big players can afford to wait. Our small farmers cannot. All we are asking is for them to be given some reprieve, especially this Christmas season,” Yulo said.

Buy surplus sugar

Adding to the calls for urgent intervention, the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PanayFed) jointly appealed to the national government to directly purchase surplus sugar stocks and provide accessible financing to farmers.

In a joint statement, NFSP President Enrique Rojas and PanayFed President Danilo Abelita said government buying would help ease congestion in the domestic market, while readily available quedan financing through government financial institutions would allow farmers to survive the current downturn.

“The present sad plight of the sugar industry was caused by a confluence of events, most notably erroneous importation policies and worsened by natural calamities,” Rojas and Abelita said.

They urged all industry stakeholders to unite and push for the immediate allocation of government resources for direct sugar buying and financing support.

Industry data show that sugar prices have plunged to as low as P2,103 per 50-kilo bag in some mills in Negros Oriental and Panay, with the highest recent bid at P2,322.22 per bag at the Hawaiian-Philippine Company.

This marks a sharp decline from the P2,800 per bag recorded during the opening weeks of Crop Year 2024-2025.

Based on SRA records, average prices stood at P2,350.20 in October and P2,396.04 in November.

However, the first two weeks of December saw prices fall to multi-year lows, with some mills declaring failed biddings due to either lack of buyers or bid prices deemed unacceptable by farmers.

Rojas and Abelita warned that current prices are already below production costs for the majority of sugar farmers, particularly smallholders cultivating less than two hectares.

“Sugar proceeds are their only source of income. The prevailing low price is literally slowly killing them,” they said, adding that some marginal farmers are now considering abandoning sugar farming altogether.

They cautioned that without safety nets, small farmers who are forced out of sugar production face limited options due to lack of capital and technical know-how, potentially pushing families into deeper poverty and creating conditions for social unrest in sugar communities.

Echoing the call for unity, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson urged sugar groups and industry leaders in the province to come together and present a unified stand before elevating their concerns to Malacañang.

“As the country’s sugar capital, Negros Occidental must speak with one voice,” Lacson said.

“We must act with firm determination to protect the livelihood of our farmers, workers and communities,” he added.

With sugar prices continuing to slide, stakeholders warned that failure to act decisively could trigger an economic catastrophe not only in Negros Occidental but also across other sugar-producing areas, including Panay, where thousands of families depend on the industry for survival./CJ, WDJ