• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As the mill gate price of sugar slides below production cost, Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri joined the call of stakeholders for the government to urgently step in to address a brewing sugar crisis.
While he welcomed the decision of the Agriculture Department to pause sugar imports for 2026, Zubiri stressed that the industry will need stronger, direct intervention to prevent more sugar farmers from bleeding.
“They need more help beyond this pause on sugar imports, whether that is through capital infusion, or through a government buying program that will ensure stable income for our sugar farmers and workers, and equitable prices for consumers,” said Zubiri, in a statement, as he stressed the need a strong and decisive Department of Agriculture and Sugar Regulatory Administration to stabilize the mill gate price of sugar.
Sugar industry stakeholders are asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement a government-financed buying program to avert the sugar crisis due to the plummeting millgate prices of sugar.
Zubiri also pushed for maximized utilization of the Sugar Development Fund under the Sugar Industry Development Act, saying it should translate to visible support that farmers can feel on the ground, especially during periods of sustained losses.
“We pour a billion pesos into the Sugar Development Fund every year, so I hope that this is reaching our farmers. Kapag ganitong nalulugi na ang mga magsasaka, dapat saluhin na sila ng (when the farmers are suffering losses, they should be supported by the) SRA by providing better infrastructure, credit and research and development support. If we can maximize the use of the SDF now, we can even push for its increase, para mas maraming magsasaka pa ang matulungan natin (so we can help even more farmers),” the Bukidnon senator explained.
Mill gate prices have been dismal since the start of the sugar milling season last October 2025, dropping from P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag of sugar in October to P2,075 in the last week of December.
In comparison, sugar fetched somewhere between P2,400 and P2,500 per bag during the 2024 milling season.
“What used to be P2,500 per bag of raw sugar is now down to P2,000 per bag, while the costs of labor, fertilizer and pesticides have been increasing,” Zubiri said.
The senator, who is also a registered agriculturist, noted that many sugar farmers are operating with limited capital and have little room to absorb sudden price drops, especially those who are agrarian reform beneficiaries.
According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration, of the 88,000 sugar farmers in the country, 84 percent are small farmers with less than five hectares of land.
“We cannot leave our farmers to deal with this crisis on their own. When tens and thousands of already marginalized farmers are operating at a loss, the government has to step in,” Zubiri stressed.
“Pero dahil may over-importation tayo ng asukal nitong nakaraang taon, hindi talaga agad na makaka-recover ang ating sugar farmers, (Because of over importation of sugar in previous years, our farmers were not able to recover immediately),” he added.
Beyond immediate price support and safety nets, Zubiri flagged smuggling and the illegal entry of sugar substitutes as another pressure point that can sabotage recovery, if left unchecked.
“We have to look out for the illegal entry of sugar and sugar substitutes such as high-fructose corn syrup in the country. We cannot fully rectify this sugar crisis if we don’t clamp down on this smuggling,” the senator pointed out.*
