Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Pablo Luis Azcona said on Thursday (Aug. 15) that he has been approached by several farmers’ groups asking to delay the opening of the milling season by at least two weeks.
Azcona, who recently spoke at the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association’s annual national convention in Cebu City, said that if the mills can get their acts together and agree to a two-week delay, it will be a win-win solution for the industry.
In 2023, the SRA delayed the opening of the milling to Sept. 1, two weeks than earlier planned and announced that for this year, milling will start by Sept. 15.
With the announcement, Victorias Milling Company (VMC) and Universal Robina Corp. (URC), two of the biggest mill operators, said they have “no objection” to the proposed two weeks delay.
Renato Cabati, managing director of URC, said that they “strongly agree” for all mills to start their operations together, at least in Negros Occidental, where mills start ahead of everybody else in the country.
Azcona said that while he agreed last year to a Sept. 15 opening this milling season, “nobody expected the effects of the long drought and many, if not all, are just at the recovery period now.”
Harvesting the canes by Sept. 15 will yield less sugar for farmers, he pointed out.
“Moreover, if most farmers are not willing to cut their canes prematurely, it will be a problem for the mills as they might have intermittent operations which will be costly in the long run. We need our mills to run efficiently and in full capacity,” Azcona added.
The SRA head also asked Terence Uygongco of the Philippine Sugar Millers Association, who was present at the plenary, to bring the mills together and “make a collective decision that is a win-win for all” especially for the farmers.
Azcona further said that while the big planters can afford the delay, “the small farmers may have difficulty of having their income delayed for even two weeks, and this is where the mills and the associations, including your SRA, can come into play by offering incentives, loans and more importantly, make them understand the higher yield which will translate to profit if everybody agrees to this”.
The SRA head said that he has been informed by mills in Luzon that they will delay their opening by a month. ||
