The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) announced that sugar production for crop year 2023–2024 has breached the 2 million metric ton (MT) mark, surpassing both initial and pre-final projections.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona described the outcome as “very surprising,” noting that earlier estimates had placed expected output at 1.782 million MT, later adjusted to 1.840 million MT. The final recorded production reached 1.92 million MT, with actual output now exceeding that figure.
Azcona attributed the strong performance to a combination of improved high-yield cane varieties, favorable recovery from drought conditions, and a key policy shift — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval to delay the start of harvest to 1 October.
The SRA emphasized that this strategic delay gave crops more time to recover post-El Niño and contributed to better cane quality. “Without a doubt, we have produced very high-quality cane varieties that increased our production output,” Azcona said.
While the current crop year’s performance provides a boost to the industry, the SRA remains cautious about next season’s outlook. Officials flagged the emerging threat from red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, which has already affected over 840 hectares of plantations in Negros Island — the country’s primary sugar-producing region.
Market-wise, retail sugar prices remain stable, ranging between P65 and P90 per kilogram across types, though raw sugar composite prices dipped slightly to P2,715.06 per 50-kg bag as of late May.
No official forecast has been issued yet for the next crop year amid pest-related uncertainties.
