Despite producing most of the country’s sugar, Negros Island remains stuck in poverty and inequality—ranking as the third poorest region nationwide—even as farmworkers face low wages, shrinking land ownership, and seasonal insecurity, according to the IBON Foundation.
The foundation, a Philippine-based nonprofit that conducts socioeconomic research and analysis, said the island’s dominance in sugar production has not led to fair benefits for workers and small farmers.
Data cited by IBON show that Negros produced about 5.04 million metric tons of sugarcane, making up nearly 76% of national output as of the fourth quarter of 2025. It also hosts 6 of the country’s 10 sugar refineries and more than half of its mills, with sugarcane production value increasing by 32.4% from 2024 to 2025.
Despite this, Negros remains among the poorest regions in the country, with 28.9% of its population classified as poor.
Agricultural workers continue to face low wages, earning only around P300 to P500 daily, well below the estimated family living wage.
In some plantations, workers reportedly earn P480 for 12 hours of labor without benefits, while others earn as little as P60 per day under group-based payment schemes, IBON said.
It added that farmers are also affected by falling farmgate prices, with sugarcane prices dropping by 17.9%, from P3.07 to P2.52 per kilo, between 2024 and 2025.
IBON further noted worsening land inequality on the island. Land ownership among actual tillers declined sharply, with fully owned land parcels shrinking from 33% in 2012 to just 18% in 2022. The number of fully owned farms also fell from 141,000 to 86,000 over the same period.
At the same time, the foundation reported that land distribution remains unequal, with 80% of farms smaller than 1 hectare, while less than 1% of large landholdings occupy extensive tracts. The biggest farms control around 30% of agricultural land—more than the national average.
IBON said sugarcane monocropping continues to trap the region in a system that benefits landlords and traders while leaving farmworkers in seasonal and insecure jobs. During the “tiempo muerto,” or dead season between planting and harvest, incomes dry up, forcing farmers to adopt survival strategies such as collective cultivation or “bungkalan.”
IBON also cited cases of violence related to land struggles, noting that many reported killings nationwide involve peasants, with Negros accounting for a notable share.*
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.