PH delays sugar importation decision ‘til mid-2025

Metro Manila, Philippines — The country has postponed making a decision on sugar importation until mid-2025 to assess the domestic supply first, the Department of Agriculture said on Sunday, Nov. 10.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona agreed on the delay.

Laurel said domestic supply of sugar is currently enough to meet the projected demand.

"Given the current situation, Administrator Azcona and I agreed that a decision on sugar importation could be delayed until after May, when the current harvest season ends," Laurel said.

“Our supply for both raw and refined sugar are stable and we are just beginning our harvest season, so Sec Laurel and I agree to delay the decision on sugar imports until after harvest sometime in May," Azcona said.

The current harvest season, Azcona explained, began slowly due to El Niño. Total cane volume only reached a third of what was harvested around the same period last crop year.

Due to prolonged El Niño dry spells, the cane became physiologically immature, leading to 16 percent lower sugar content per ton of cane.

For the cane to mature and boost sugar content, Azcona said farmers had to postpone their harvests.

The SRA projected a 7.2-percent decrease in sugar production this year. The present crop year will end in August 2025.