The prices of local sugar is expected to remain stable as the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Wednesday assured a sufficient domestic supply until the second quarter of 2025.

“Since sapat and stable yung supply po (there’s sufficient and stable supply), the prices have shown that it’s been relatively stable iyong retail price natin at mababa po (our retail prices and it’s low),” SRA chief Pablo Luis Azcona said in a phone interview.

As of Wednesday, the prices of refined sugar in Metro Manila range from PHP74 per kilogram to PHP95/kg; PHP68/kg to PHP90/kg for washed sugar; and PHP65/kg to PHP90/kg for brown sugar.

“So far, based doon sa estimates natin sa crop (based on our crop estimates and), actual stock on hand and iyong imports natin na arriving, sapat po yung supply natin siguro hanggang (and the imports arriving, our supply is sufficient maybe until the) end of milling in May or June 2025,” Azcona said.

“Iyong supply po natin sa (Our supply of) sugar, it’s been stable the whole 2023-2024 crop year and ready na din po tayo (and we are also ready) for 2024-2025.”

For the sugar importation, the SRA earlier said around 240,000 MT of refined sugar is expected to arrive to maintain stable buffer stock and retail prices, and cover the gap before the milling season in October.

Sugar production for the crop year 2024-2025 from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2025, estimated at 1.78 million metric tons (MT), meanwhile, will be allocated for domestic use according to Sugar Order No. 1.

The said estimated output, however, poses a slight contraction from the 1.92 million MT production during the crop year 2023-2024.

“Iyong effort ng SRA sa ngayon (The efforts of SRA now), which is the mandate of our DA (Department of Agriculture) Secretary and our administration, is to currently improve on the supply so we will be less dependent on imported sugar,” Azcona said. (PNA)