• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Sugar industry groups have welcomed Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines’ (CCEAP) commitment to use 100 percent locally produced premium refined sugar in its Negros operations, but urged the company to extend the policy nationwide.
The Sugar Council, composed of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, issued the appeal Wednesday, Oct. 7, following CCEAP’s Oct. 5 statement on its Negros operations.
“We welcome Coca-Cola’s commitment to use 100 percent locally produced premium refined sugar in Negros, but we appeal to CCEAP to expand that commitment to Filipino sugar sourced throughout the country,” the groups said.
In a statement, the Sugar Council said the use of locally sourced raw materials supports not only sugar farmers but also millers, refiners, industrial workers, transporters and agricultural communities.
The groups, however, said CCEAP’s statement focused largely on its long-standing Bacolod operations without disclosing actual sugar volumes used in its production.
The Sugar Council also renewed their concern over the reported importation of 16.98 million liters of finished Coca-Cola products from Indonesia, saying this raises questions about its impact on domestic production and demand for locally refined sugar.
“As the country’s largest industrial buyer of locally produced sugar, CCEAP’s choices impact upon the economic survival of millions of Filipinos,” they said.
The groups said sugarcane farmers suffered billions of pesos in foregone revenue during crop year 2025-2026 amid what they described as excessive refined sugar imports.
They said the resulting losses have further constrained farmers’ ability to cope with rising fuel and fertilizer costs and infestations of red-striped soft scale insect.
The Sugar Council also argued that importing finished beverages excludes both domestic sugar and local labor from the production process.
It called on CCEAP to prioritize Filipino-produced sugar in all its operations across the country, saying a nationwide commitment would provide stakeholders with a clearer picture of domestic sugar demand and strengthen the link between local manufacturing and the sugar industry. | GPB
