Raw sugar imports could devastate local industry, Bukidnon farmers warn

QUEZON, BUKIDNON—A prominent sugarcane industry advocate has issued a stark warning against government plans to import raw sugar, saying the move risks collapsing local production and suppressing farm-gate prices across the country.

Pablo Lorenzo III, president and chair emeritus of the Associated Bukidnon Sugarcane Farmers Inc. and Associated Bukidnon Sugarcane Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ABSFI-ABSMPC), cautioned policymakers that importing raw sugar to stabilize domestic market prices could have devastating consequences for Philippine sugar producers.

Lorenzzo's concerns reflect broader industry anxieties about potential market flooding from cheaper imported sugar, which could undercut local farmers' ability to compete and sustain their livelihoods. The warning comes as the government considers various strategies to manage sugar price volatility in domestic markets.

The appeal from one of Bukidnon's leading farming organizations underscores the delicate balance policymakers must strike between consumer price concerns and protecting the viability of the country's sugar sector, which represents a significant agricultural enterprise particularly in Mindanao.