• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senate deputy majority leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito filed a resolution on Wednesday, directing the Senate committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the alleged over-importation of sugar and its impact on the local sugar industry.
In his resolution, Ejercito said the Senate probe also aimed at protecting the livelihood of local sugar producers, farmers, and to ensure fair market conditions, and promoting a balanced and sustainable sugar policy.
The industry supports around 140,000 small-scale planters across Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, according to data from the Department of Agriculture – Negros Island Region.
Ejercito, who was the guest of honor and speaker at the opening of 30th Panaad sa Negros Festival in Bacolod City, on Tuesday separately met with representatives of major sugar producer and miller groups, including the Confederation of Sugarcane Farmers of Negros Inc., Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, Philippine Sugar Millers Association, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, United Sugar Producers’ Federation of the Philippines, and provincial government officials Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, to better understand the challenges confronting the industry and explore possible amendments to the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA).
Ejercito disclosed that industry stakeholders raised concerns regarding the alleged mismanagement within the Sugar Regulatory Administration, over-importation of sugar, improper timing, and overlapping of importation, which may adversely affect domestic producers.
As one of the principal authors of the SIDA, Ejercito noted that excessive or poorly timed importation resulted in oversupply in the domestic market, depressed farmgate prices, and reduced income for local farmers.
Data on the raw sugar supply for Crop Year 2025, as of March this year, shows physical stocks of 668,405 metric tons, equivalent to an estimated 13.37 million bags, which is 99.534 metric tons higher than the 568,871 metric tons recorded in the same period for the Crop Year 2024-2025, indicating significant increase available domestic supply.
Refined sugar supply on the same period also reflects physical stocks of 506,804 metric tons, representing a 38.77 percent increase from 365,223. 22 metric tons recorded in the previous year.
These figures indicate that available sugar stocks increased significantly every year, raising concerns among industry stakeholders that importation may have contributed to elevated inventory levels and possible market oversupply, the resolution stated.
It added that based on the comparative week-ending withdrawals for Crop Year 2025-2026 versus millsite prices on the same period in CY 2024-2025, the estimated forgone revenue from sugar and molasses after 25 weeks reached P12.8 billion.
With this, Ejercito said there is a need to review existing policies and the basis for determining the timing and volume of sugar importation to ensure that such policies remain responsive to present challenges and promote long term sustainability.*
