‘All sugar output should be reserved for domestic use’

Local sugar producers in the Philippines have called for the government to reserve all sugar output for domestic use, citing a projected decline in supply and the need to protect the industry. The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry in the Philippines (NACUSIP) and the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Council (ARB Council) have urged the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to classify 100 percent of sugar as "B" or Domestic Market Sugar for the 2026 to 2027 crop year.

This position is grounded in the urgent need to safeguard locally produced sugar, ensure price stability, and support the livelihoods of workers, farmers, and agrarian reform beneficiaries who collectively produce more than 80 percent of the country's sugar output. The groups noted that domestic demand already exceeds projected production, with estimated withdrawals standing at two million metric tons, above the expected 1.66 million metric tons output for the upcoming crop year.

Brief written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.