• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Congressional Agriculture Committee will conduct a public consultation in response to the uproar on the continuing drop in sugar millgate prices.
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez said the public consultation set in the third week of January aims to address concerns raised by farmers in connection with the crisis faced by the sugar industry.
During the opening of 2024-2025 crop year, the millgate prices of sugar were averaging at P2,800 per 50-kilo (Lkg) bag.
However, average prices fell to P2,350 in October and P2,400 in November, with prices in the first two weeks of December hitting P2,100 to P2,200.
“We’re not just fighting to save an industry — we’re fighting to bring back the prosperity that sugar has brought to Filipino families for decades,” Benitez said, as he urged the sugar industry stakeholders to unite.
Negros Occidental Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo urged stakeholders to “put aside petty disputes and stand together.”
Yulo also called on the Sugar Regulatory Administration to act swiftly to halt the price decline. | GB
