Unlike reported shortages in rice and corn, there is one major agricultural product whose production government need not worry about: sugar.

Sugar Regulatory Administration records show that for this crop year 2007-2008, sugar production is expected to reach 2.34 million metric tons with an excess production of about 140,000 metric tons. 

“Based on our (SRA) production and consumption estimates, the President and the Filipino consumer need not worry about the supply of sugar," Administrator Rafael Coscolluela said.

"This clearly demonstrates our firm commitment to food security of the country," Bernardo Trebol of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. said.   

"We have been telling government that we can sufficiently supply the market, and asking them to give us producers effective tariff protection from subsidized Thai sugar," Trebol said.

Philippine sugar tariffs under ASEAN are expected to go down to zero to five percent in 2010. Since 2005, the sugar industry has been calling for the transfer of sugar from the sensitive list to the highly sensitive list of the ASEAN Free Trade Area for higher tariff protection.

Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters Inc., said that to avoid a crisis, the Philippines must sustain increasing production. "Our country cannot rely its food security from the world market where supply and prices are highly volatile," he said.

Archimedes Amarra, executive director of thr Philippine Sugar Millers Association Inc., pointed out that surplus sugar production not only saves government millions of pesos that may be used to fund social programs as there is no need to purchase imported sugar, but ensures the availability of the product to consumers at more than enough quantities.  

"Exposing sugar producers to unfair competition from subsidized imported sugar through reduction in tariff puts the Philippines in a precarious situation. When production drops because of depressed prices, the country might experience a similar situation it is encountering right now. We might have to worry about sugar and not just rice. That situation is socially and politically unimaginable," Amarra said.*RLE

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