• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo has backed a proposed millgate price of P2,900 per 50-kilogram bag of sugar, saying the current price of P2,600 is no longer enough for farmers to recover their production costs.
Yulo said sugar farmers are facing rising expenses for labor, fuel and fertilizer compounded by the effects of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation and the looming threat of the Super El Niño phenomenon.
He said production costs previously estimated at P2,400 to P2,500 per bag have increased due to escalating expenses across the sugar industry.
Labor costs have risen twice while fuel and fertilizer prices have also gone up.
Yulo added that farmers in areas affected by RSSI have incurred additional production expenses estimated at P4,000 to P5,000 per hectare to address the infestation.
He also warned that sugar farmers could feel the effects of the projected Super El Niño as early as the start of the sugarcane planting season, raising concerns about potential losses and lower agricultural production.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has expressed support for a proposed declaration of a national state of calamity due to the anticipated effects of El Niño.
The proposal, earlier raised by Senator Francis Pangilinan, could make disaster funds more accessible and help expedite assistance to affected farmers and other vulnerable sectors.
Lacson noted that existing calamity declarations could also provide a basis for continued response measures. | GPB
