The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said it is working double time to attain its goals of boosting the sugar output and increasing farmers' revenues.

In a televised interview with Usapang Agrikultura on Monday,  SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona cited reasons why the country started importing sugar. Among the factors that affected its domestic production was the slowed-down research of the SRA starting in 1986.

“Aside from that, the biggest factor is that our farm sizes have shrunk.  After land reform, we were at 400,000 plus hectares. Now, we're at 386,000 hectares. The problem is that 85 percent is one hectare and below,” he said.

The SRA chief said that before 1986, the Philippines was exporting sugar, citing that the industry was highly mechanized, using machines for almost all processes in the field.

"But when we reached one to two hectares, the one to two farm size cannot afford to maintain and use tractors. If you only have one hectare in the sugar industry, your income is only P50,000 to P100,000 per hectare. [O]ur industry is back to manual production and using carabaos. Our production has really decreased per hectare,” the SRA chief said.

Currently, sugar output is at 52 tons of cane per hectare, he said, which is equivalent to about 85 bags of 50-kilo sugar per hectare.

“Since 2022, we've been 100 percent double time. Now, we're releasing new varieties. All the sugarcane we plant in the Philippines is produced locally,” Azcona said. 

“We also have a private research station, a private research institution that was founded in 1995 or 1997. They're also helping us. Now, the mandate of our dear President and our dear DA Secretary, Tiu Laurel, is to make sure that SRA is back to where it was before.”

He added that consolidations are currently in place to have more efficient coordination among sugar farmers nationwide. At least 267 block farms have been consolidated so far equivalent to a total of about 10,600 hectares. 

“What we're doing is consolidating the land reform beneficiaries and making them a cooperative, association, or group. The minimum is 30 hectares. Out of the 30 hectares, this is the smallest farm size that is efficient for a tractor,” he said.

Through the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) and Department of Agriculture funding, beneficiaries are given P2  to P2.5 million in working capital as well as tractors and other farm equipment.

 The SRA has two research stations undertaking research, development, and extension, one in Luzon and one in Negros.