BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Members of the Sugar Council, a broad coalition of big and small sugar planters, pushed back against the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) after the latter accused the coalition of destabilizing the sugar industry, saying concerns over imports and falling farm prices should be answered with data, not political attacks. 

Francisco Borromeo of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (CONFED) said calling industry leaders “spoiled brats” was “not leadership” but “deflection.” He said the Sugar Council had raised documented concerns on importation, consultation, market prices, and losses suffered by producers. 

UNIFED Chairman Manuel Lamata had accused the Sugar Council of sowing division, attacking the Marcos administration and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), and pushing for changes in the Sugar Board leadership. 

“The real destabilization is the over importation of sugar caused by Sugar Order No. 8 and its minutes of the meeting are being kept as confidential under the skirts of the Sugar Board,” National Council of Unions in the Sugar Industry president Roland De La Cruz retorted.

Sugar Order No. 8 was the SRA order that authorized the importation of up to 424,000 metric tons of refined sugar for crop year 2024-2025. Critics said the volume worsened pressure on local prices, while SRA officials have said imports were needed to manage supply. 

De La Cruz added that the issue was not which planter group was most representative of farmers but “the plight and condition of the sugar farmers” affected by alleged overimportation and SRA mismanagement. 

The exchange comes as SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said national sugar production could fall by 7% to 9% this crop year, with the 2026-2027 outlook expected to be even lower because of pests, flooding, dry weather, and rising input costs, according to a report from Digicast Negros. 

Planters from Negros are demanding that the SRA should clearly explain the basis of those projections. They say the problem is not just that farms are producing less sugar, but that sugar is also moving more slowly in the market. 

Borromeo pointed out that the SRA’s own April 12 report showed that sugar output had dropped, but sugar withdrawals and local demand had fallen even more, while remaining stocks were higher. He also lamented that farmers are being squeezed by higher costs, lower selling prices, weak demand, climate problems, and lack of long-term support. 

Members of the sugar council said that a coalition representing about half of national sugar production should not be dismissed by UNIFED or the SRA as “anti-government” for demanding consultation and accountability.

An SRA table for crop year 2024-2025 shows non-affiliated planters, including small farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries, accounted for 30.70% of planters’ production. CONFED accounted for 32.81%, while UNIFED accounted for 16.99%.