November 14, 2025
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1263329
BACOLOD CITY – The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has mobilized assistance for sugarcane farmers in the Visayas as initial industry losses brought by Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) reached more than PHP1.2 billion.
In a statement on Friday, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said Typhoon Tino, which hit Negros Island and the neighboring regions on Nov. 4, was among the strongest storms with the heaviest flooding experienced by the sugar industry in the past two decades.
"It is a major challenge to our industry that is already facing problems with the red-striped soft-scale insect infestation," he added.
Azcona said the SRA has started the procurement of fertilizers to assist badly affected farmers.
"These will soon be distributed to mill districts and sugar associations," he said.
Initial assessment showed Typhoon Tino damaged more than 53,000 hectares of sugarcane farms located in mill districts across the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte, and Cebu, affecting at least 16,000 farmers.
Negros Occidental, the country's top sugar-producing province, was the worst-hit, with more than 30,000 hectares of sugarlands severely damaged in two mill districts alone.
These include farms under the Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company mill district, covering Himamaylan City and the municipalities of Isabela, Binalbagan, Hinigaran, and Moises Padilla, where 20,000 hectares were badly damaged.
In the La Carlota mill district, about 10,000 hectares of sugarcane farms were affected.
Reports of farm damage were also reported in San Carlos and Ma-ao mill districts.
“We have seen entire fields decimated, especially in the fourth and fifth districts of Negros Occidental. Harvestable canes were flattened and flooded, and we can only hope that these fields will be able to recover," Azcona said.
He added that the SRA has deployed field personnel to conduct a full assessment of all areas, along with farmlands affected by Typhoon Uwan.
"Then we can have a full picture of the damage these two major disasters caused in sugarland areas. We expect the numbers to grow after we have the full assessment from the field,” the SRA chief said, noting a conservative production decrease of at least 500,000 bags of raw sugar this crop year.
Azcona said delays in milling for crop year 2025-2026 are expected as four sugar mills stopped operations for almost a week due to typhoon damage.
Sugar mills in La Carlota City and Binalbagan were shut down for a week before resuming operations.
"There is no better time than now for all stakeholders to come together and help each other to ensure that no one is left behind and we remain steadfast as a united sugar industry," Azcona said. (PNA)