The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) plans to submit a formal proposal for fuel subsidies in the sugar sector and expanded benefits under the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) to Congress.
SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the proposal was well received by legislators.
“I discussed fuel subsidy and expanding benefits and services under SIDA with Cong. Mark Enverga who chairs the committee on agri and it was received well,” Azcona said.
He also revealed ongoing talks with representatives from Tokyo University to introduce advanced technologies to improve sugar mill efficiency.
Higher-yielding sugarcane varieties from Japan have been planted, with hopes of a new breeding program pending positive results. Import restrictions necessitate using seeds instead of cuttings, which may delay the program.
The SRA’s efforts align with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel’s directive to expand SIDA’s services and benefits to include fuel subsidies, enhanced liming, fertilization, irrigation and farm mechanization programs to bolster the industry’s productivity.
He also underscored the importance of establishing a new breeding program and acquiring high-yielding varieties from abroad.
“Thanks to active private sector support, the sugarcane industry has already made investments in automatic weather stations, drought monitoring systems, satellite imaging crop estimation systems, solar irrigation, and mechanized planting and harvesting processes,” Tiu Laurel said.
The DA chief expressed hope for continued collaboration with Philippine Sugarcane Technologists Association (Philsutech) to advance the industry’s competitiveness.
Azcona remains optimistic about securing Congressional approval for the expanded SIDA benefits.
“We will be submitting a formal proposal soon for Congress to approve this under the SIDA budget,” he said.
