August 20, 2014
By Teresa Ellera
SunStar Bacolod
THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has issued Sugar Order No. 1 pertaining to sugar production allocation policy for milling year 2014-2015.
SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Bautista Martin said the sugar order, approved during the meeting of the SRA Board yesterday, is allocating five percent for “A” sugar or US quota, 90 percent for “B” or domestic market, and five percent for “D” or world market.
Martin placed the estimate sugar production this crop year at about 2.5 million metric tons and the consumption at about 2.25 million metric tons.
The five percent “A” sugar would be about 125,000 metric tons for US quota market and with still available verified “A” of 11,704 metric tons which were not shipped out to the US this crop year, she said.
Martin added that the five percent allocation is enough to meet the country's regular US quota of 136,000 metric tons.
They are also anticipating a steady domestic demand of 2.25 million metric tons, she said, with a two percent increase in domestic consumption from crop year 2013-2014 thereby meeting the per capita consumption of 25 kilos for 88 million Filipinos.
"The SRA will closely monitor supply and demand situation in the light of the volatility of the sugar industry in the country as we prepare for the Asean Economic Integration this coming 2015," Martin further said.
As of August 10, actual shipments to the US market have already reached about 123,148 metric tons while about 128,849 metric tons were delivered to the world market.