Lawmakers and councilors from Negros Island have united in calling for an urgent action from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) after sugar prices plunged below production cost, threatening the livelihoods of farmers and workers and deepening tensions within the sugar industry.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, October 14, Negros Occidental Representatives Julio Ledesma IV (1st District), Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District), Javi Benitez (3rd District), Jeffrey Ferrer (4th District), Emilio Bernardino Yulo III (5th District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District), and Bacolod Lone District Representative Albee Benitez raised alarm over the “sharp decline in sugar prices,” which have dropped “well below the cost of production.”
Negros Oriental Representatives Emmanuel Iway (1st District), Maisa Sagarbarria (2nd District), and Janice Degamo (3rd District) joined their counterparts in urging the SRA to immediately address the price slump and explain the factors behind the ongoing crisis.
They warned that the slump “threatens rural livelihoods, food security, and social stability in the Negros Island Region,” where over 60 percent of households rely on sugarcane farming as a principal or supplementary income.
The lawmakers urged the SRA to “issue a transparent and data-based explanation on the reasons behind the sudden price collapse,” including the effects of recent importations, pest infestations, and shifts in market demand.
The joint statement came as millgate prices plunged to around P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag, nearly P300 below the estimated production cost.
“Industry leaders warn that if unchecked, such price collapse could worsen poverty in rural sugar districts, where over 60 percent of households depend on sugarcane as either principal or supplementary income,” a portion of the statement read.
Supposedly happy
This is supposedly called Tiempo Suerte season in the island— traditionally a time of fortune marking the start of milling — as having “turned bitter.”
On Thursday, October 9, Victorias Milling Company and BISCOM both posted millgate prices at P2,260 per LKG, Lopez Sugar Central at P2,257 per LKG, URC-Kabankalan at P2,270 per LKG, and URC-La Carlota at P2,251.72 per LKG—all falling well below the estimated production cost of around P3,000 per LKG, a gap that sent shockwaves through planters’ groups already burdened by high fertilizer and fuel costs.
The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED) earlier demanded that the SRA explain this year’s price collapse, which they said had fallen far below the levels recorded at the start of the previous milling season.
Their joint statement accused the SRA of failing to maintain a balance between sugar production and demand, which “should ensure stabilized prices at a level reasonably profitable to producers and fair to consumers.”
Meanwhile, in Himamaylan City, the council passed a resolution urging the national government agencies to intervene in the continued drop of sugar prices in the island.
“RESOLVED, as it is hereby RESOLVED, that the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Himamaylan City strongly requests the National Government, through the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), to immediately conduct an investigation into the causes of depressed sugar prices at the start of the 2025/6 milling season and intervene on behalf of sugarcane planters,” portion of the resolution read.
Blame game
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED) echoed these concerns in an open letter, saying the “steep decline in both sugar and molasses prices” was a consequence of “importation that flooded the market, depressed prices, and left producers without buyers.”
“True leadership requires accountability, especially since the future of our industry depends on the decisions made at present,” the statement read.
But the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) pushed back, defending SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and blaming the “grandstanding” of certain sugar leaders for agitating the market.
UNIFED Chairman Manuel Lamata said, “If there is someone to be blamed for the low price of sugar at the start of the milling season, we should look at those who have been stirring the market through their public posturing.”
Lamata added that speculation over importation “created panic and confusion among traders,” warning that such actions “hurt the very industry they claim to protect.”
“I feel this was all orchestrated because up until they started talking of importation, over importation, over supply, the market was quiet and we were expecting better prices than what we saw last week,” Lamata said.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona maintained that there are no ongoing sugar importations during the current milling season.
He said that the importation will only occur after the milling season ends, emphasizing that any future imports will be decided after consultations in mid-2026.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.