The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has revised its forecast sugar output for crop year 2024-2025, reflecting a nearly 5 percent increase to 1.837 million metric tons (MT) from an earlier estimate of only 1.782 million MT, SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said Monday.
The improvement comes despite earlier concerns over the lingering effects of the 2024 El Niño phenomenon, which led to lower sugar content per ton of cane (LKGTC). This, the SRA said, was offset by increased sugarcane tonnage per hectare, thanks to improved farming practices and new sugarcane varieties introduced by the agency.
“This was based on the health and assessment of the sugarcane after the extreme El Niño… We are ending on a positive note,” said Azcona, crediting gains to investments in research, irrigation, soil conditioning, and a revised cropping calendar.
While the updated forecast represents a 4 percent decline from the 1.92 million MT output last year, the recovery holds significant commercial value. Rising production is expected to ease supply pressures and stabilize retail prices, which currently range from P64 to P90 per kilogram depending on the sugar type.
Visayas remains the largest contributor to national output, accounting for 71 percent, with Negros Island alone producing 63 percent of the total. Mindanao contributes nearly a quarter of the country’s sugar, and also posted the highest average LKGTC at 1.74.
Azcona added that higher farm gate prices and optimism about improved yields have encouraged both existing and new farmers to replant, even after suffering El Niño damage. The composite millsite price of raw sugar as of May 4 stood at P2,671.92 per 50 kg bag, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous week.
The sugar crop year in the Philippines runs from September through August.
