• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito filed a resolution on Wednesday, April 15 directing the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the alleged over-importation of sugar and its impact on the local sugar industry.
In the resolution, Ejercito said the probe is also aimed at protecting the livelihood of sugar producers and farmers, ensuring fair market conditions, and promoting a balanced and sustainable sugar policy.
The industry supports around 140,000 small-scale planters across Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, according to data from the Department of Agriculture-Negros Island Region.
On Tuesday, Ejercito separately met with representatives of major sugar producers’ and millers’ groups and provincial government officials led by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson in Bacolod City.
He sought the meetings to better understand the challenges confronting the industry and explore possible amendments to the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA).
Ejercito said industry stakeholders have raised concerns regarding the alleged mismanagement within the Sugar Regulatory Administration, over-importation of sugar, and the improper timing and overlapping of importation, which may adversely affect domestic producers.
As one of the principal authors of the SIDA, Ejercito noted that excessive or poorly timed importation resulted in oversupply in the domestic market, depressed farmgate prices, and reduced income for local farmers.
Data on the raw sugar supply for crop year 2025-2026, as of March this year, shows physical stocks of 668,405 metric tons, equivalent to an estimated 13.37 million bags, which is 99.534 metric tons higher than the 568,871 metric tons recorded in the same period for the crop year 2024-2025, indicating significant increase available domestic supply.
Refined sugar supply on the same period also reflects physical stocks of 506,804 metric tons, representing a 38.77 percent increase from 365,223. 22 metric tons recorded in the previous year.
These figures indicate that available sugar stocks increased significantly every year, raising concerns among industry stakeholders that importation may have contributed to elevated inventory levels and possible market oversupply, the resolution stated. | GB
