The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters Inc. yesterday said sugarcane planters in Negros and neighboring sugar-producing provinces are decrying what they call the rapid drop of approximately P100 per LKg in domestic sugar prices.

Prices were down from a high of P 1,250 per LKg last April 24 to about P 1,150 per LKg last May 2, the group said.

NFSP president Enrique Rojas said in a statement that officers of the Association of Productive Planters of Negros Occidental Inc. expressed their concern to him.

“With the increasing prices of farm inputs such as fertilizer and fuel, they hoped that sugar prices should have remained at a high level so that they can somehow recover their losses when sugar prices were low,” he said.

Rojas blamed what he called the untimely conversion of reserve sugar into domestic sugar (as) one of the major reasons for the sudden drop in sugar prices. 

He said the Sugar Regulatory Administration did not coordinate with the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines in issuing the conversion, as previously agreed upon between the Sugar Alliance and SRA in matters involving sugar allocation and conversion.

He said the SRA “acted prematurely” in issuing last April 16 Sugar Order No. 11 titled “Conversion of ‘C’ Sugar Produced During the Month of December 2007 to ‘B’ Sugar.” 

During the Sugar Forum in Bacolod City on April 4, the schedule of “C” to “B” was among the topics discussed by SRA head Rafael Coscolluela.

Rojas said planters contend that SRA should have waited until June to convert the reserve sugar.   

The period from June to September is when reserve sugar should be converted into domestic sugar because by the middle of May or June, most mills would have stopped operation and will operate again in September, he said.

The conversion of reserve sugar to domestic sugar should be done only at the most appropriate time, and with proper coordination with the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines, the NFSP president added.*

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