The ongoing pest infestation currently affecting sugarcane farms in Negros Occidental and neighboring areas calls for sugar importation to avert any potential supply shortage.
This is according to Enrique Rojas, president of National Federation of Sugarcane Planters. Rojas said the group supports the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) projection of lower sugar output for crop year 2025-2026. This was attributed to the prevalence of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) and unfavorable weather conditions.
‘This makes it necessary to import but any importation should be judiciously managed in terms of the volume and timing of arrival, so that our farmers will not be placed at a disadvantage against these cheaper, subsidized imported sugar,’ Rojas said in a message.
Rojas also said production in the past crop years has been insufficient to meet the demand for the sweetener.
The SRA estimated that sugar production would decrease by 7.9 percent to 1.92 million metric tons (MT) in crop year 2025-2026. This would come down from the actual output of 2.09 million in the previous crop year.
In Sugar Order No. 1 for the current crop year, the SRA said the potential production decline is due to the RSSI infestation and excessive rainfall in Negros.
With this, the SRA designated all sugar production for the current season for domestic consumption.
Rojas said the RSSI ‘has undoubtedly damaged’ sugarcane crops in Negros. The island accounts for 65 percent of the country’s sugar production.
Hope for recovery
‘Hopefully, after all the RSSI-affected canes are harvested in the early months of the season, our prospective crops can recover and we can produce enough sugar to fill our domestic demand, so that there will be no need for sugar importation in the coming crop years,’ he added.
The SRA reported the first RSSI case in May affecting certain sugarcane plantations in Negros Occidental.
According to the agency, the pest attacks sugarcane leaves and reduces sugar content of infested sugarcanes by as much as 50 percent if not contained. It can cause yellowing leaves, stunted growth and shortened internodes,
In June, the Department of Agriculture allotted P10 million in financial assistance to support efforts to eliminate the pest disease.
The SRA issued an order requiring industry stakeholders to secure a permit before transporting sugarcane plants and planting materials. This is intended to prevent the spread of pests and diseases in sugarcane areas. /rwd