Sugar bidding sessions are held weekly throughout the harvest season, typically spanning 38 weeks.
Tiu Laurel, SRA Administrator Paul Azcona, and SRA Board Member and Farmers’ Representative Dave Sanson met with stakeholders this week to discuss traders’ hesitation to buy raw sugar amid market uncertainty.
The officials jointly clarified that the government has no plans to import sugar until the end of the current milling season, which runs until May or June 2026.
“Let us be clear—there is no, and never was, talk of an importation program for Crop Year 2025-2026 until we finish significant milling, have firm production figures, and ensure any imports would only be classified as reserve sugar,” Tiu Laurel and Azcona said in a joint statement.
The meeting also resulted in an agreement to maintain a two-month buffer stock of refined sugar to ensure market stability. Any future sugar imports, they stressed, will remain strictly under the “C” or reserve category and will not enter the domestic market directly.
Sanson welcomed the assurance, saying it strengthens farmers’ confidence in the industry and should stabilize prices following speculation.
Since 2022, sugarcane areas have grown from 380,000 to 409,000 hectares. With stable farmgate and retail prices, the Department of Agriculture and SRA said the sector continues to recover—benefiting both farmers and consumers. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
