• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The sugar industry suffered an estimated loss of P1.2 billion in Visayas alone, due to devastation brought about by Typhoon Tino, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
SRA disclosed in a report that more than 16,000 sugar farmers were affected, creating havoc over more than 53,000 hectares covering the milling districts in Negros Island, Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte, and Cebu.
“We have seen entire fields decimated by Tino especially in the fourth and fifth districts of Negros Occidental, where harvestable canes were flattened and flooded, and we can only hope that these fields will be able to recover,” SRA head Pablo Azcona said.
Azcona also expects delays in milling, with four mills forced to stop operations for almost a week after also taking damage, including the mills in La Carlota City and Binalbagan that had to shut down for a week before they were able to refire.
Hardest hit were sugar lands in the BISCOM mill district covering Himamaylan City and the towns of Isabela, Binalbagan, Hinigaran, and Moises Padilla where over 20,000 hectares of sugar lands were severely damaged, followed by the La Carlota mill district with over 10,000 hectares damaged, San Carlos district which includes Canlaon, Sagay-Danao district, and the Ma-ao District, which is called Central Negros.
Azcona expects a drop in sugar production of around 500,000 bags of raw sugar, and molasses, based on their initial assessments
He added that SRA has started procuring fertilizer to aid farmers who were badly affected, which will soon be distributed to mill districts and sugar associations.
Describing Typhoon Tino as among the strongest storms and heaviest flooding experienced by Negrenses, Azcona said it is a major challenge to the sugar industry that is already facing problems with the RSSI infestation, noting also that it flooded areas that have never been flooded historically.
The flooding was worsened by ashfalls and debris from Kanlaon Volcano that clogged rivers and vital drainage systems with ash and lahar, he added.*
