• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez said on Monday (Dec. 15) the inclusion of sugar farmers in the 2026 implementation of the P10-billion Presidential Assistance for Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families (PAFFF) program has gained traction.
Benitez, a member of the bicameral conference committee for the proposed 2026 national budget, said they manifested such request, emphasizing the urgent need for support given the multifaceted crisis facing the sugar industry in Negros Occidental.
Millgate prices of sugar are down to the production level to as low as P2,100 per 50-kilo (LKg) bag compared to P3,000 in previous years.
Benitez stressed the importance of financial assistance to sugar farmers to mitigate the effects of low prices of sugar, importation, pest damage and other climate challenges.
The intervention of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was already sought to arrest the downward spiral of sugar and molasses prices.
In a joint statement, the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers are pushing for direct government buying of surplus sugar stocks to ease the congestion in the domestic market and the provision by government financial institutions of easily accessible quedan financing for sugar farmers. | GB
