THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will not import sugar until the second half of 2025 since supplies of raw and refined variants remain stable, the Department of Agriculture said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said there was no immediate need for additional sugar shipments because domestic supply for the current crop year was sufficient to meet projected needs. The decision was made following a meeting with SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.

"Administrator Azcona and I agreed... sugar importation could be delayed until after May (2025) when the current harvest season ends," Tiu Laurel said. The current crop year ends in August next year.

El Niño weather, Azcona said, forced the current harvest season to start slowly, with total cane volume reaching only a third of the amount harvested in the same period in the last crop year.

"Farmers had to delay their harvests to allow the cane to mature further and increase sugar content," he explained.

"The prolonged dry spells brought by El Niño resulted in sugar cane being physiologically immature, resulting in a 16-percent lower sugar content per ton of cane," the DA confirmed.

This condition restricts sugar output despite an increase in planting areas. The area planted with sugar cane this year slightly widened to 389,461 hectares compared to 388,378 hectares the previous crop year, according to the SRA.

The SRA estimated this year's sugar production to reach 1.782 million metric tons (MT), 7.2 percent lower than the 1.92 million MT in the previous crop year.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Manila office, meanwhile, forecasts a 3.6-percent drop in Philippine raw sugar production for the current crop year, with output falling to 1.85 million MT.

Azcona previously said sugar imports are not based solely on one projection, noting the figures are just the initial estimate for the crop year's production. The SRA usually provides three projections on raw sugar output throughout the year.

Sugar Order 1

Total domestic raw sugar market withdrawal, meanwhile, is estimated at 2.20 million MT.

To address the shortfall in supply, the SRA issued Sugar Order 1, in which all sugar produced must be allocated solely for local consumption, with 100 percent of production designated as "B" or domestic market sugar.

The order, which took effect in September, was a response to expected production gaps due to the prolonged effects of El Niño.

Azcona said this sugar policy aimed to ensure the domestic sugar market remained stable and fair for producers and consumers.