Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Tuesday urged the government to immediately intervene to address what he described as a brewing sugar crisis, as mill gate prices continue to fall below production costs, pushing already burdened sugar farmers deeper into losses.

While welcoming the Department of Agriculture’s decision to pause sugar imports for 2026, Zubiri said the measure alone would not be enough to stabilize the industry and protect farmers from sustained financial bleeding.

“We need a strong and decisive DA and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to stabilize the mill gate price of sugar,” he added.

Zubiri also called for the full utilization of the Sugar Development Fund under the Sugar Industry Development Act, stressing that the billions allocated annually should translate into concrete support felt by farmers on the ground, especially during periods of prolonged losses.

Mill gate prices have remained weak since the start of the milling season in October 2025, dropping from P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag to P2,075 by the last week of December. This is significantly lower than the P2,400 to P2,500 per bag recorded during the 2024 milling season.

He noted that what used to sell for P2,500 per bag is now down to about P2,000, resulting in losses of P300 to P500 per bag for farmers.