Philippines: DA, SRA defer sugar importation decision until mid-2025

Published 2024년 11월 10일

Tridge summary

The Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration have decided to postpone sugar importation due to a stable domestic supply, despite challenges from the El Niño phenomenon affecting the harvest. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona will revisit the decision after the harvest season ends in May. The El Niño has led to a slower start and a 16% reduction in sugar content per ton of cane, although planting areas have increased. The SRA predicts a 7.2% decrease in sugar production to 1.782 million metric tons, while the US Agriculture Department forecasts a 3.6% decline to 1.85 million metric tons for the current crop year ending in August.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) have delayed their decision on sugar importation following the stable domestic supply of raw and refined sugar in the country. "Given the current situation, Administrator Azcona and I agreed that a decision on sugar importation could be delayed until after May, when the current harvest season ends," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. "Our supply for both raw and refined sugar is stable, and we are just beginning our harvest season, so Sec. Laurel and I agree to delay the decision on sugar imports until after harvest sometime in May,” SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said. Azcona, however, said due to El Niño, the current harvest season began slowly, with a total cane volume of a third of the amount harvested around the same period in the last crop year. "Farmers had to delay their harvests to allow the cane to mature further and increase sugar content," Azcona said. The country ...

Source: Gmanetwork