sugar wet market
RETAIL PRICES for sugar were stable at P45 to P50 a kilo, and lower than prices a year earlier. — BW FILE PHOTO

PHILIPPINE sugar production fell by 0.47% at the end of the crop year in August as demand fell, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

Sugar output fell to 2.073 million metric tons (MMT), down from 2.083 MMT in the previous year, the agency said in a statement. This was also lower than the estimated production of 2.225 MMT for the crop year.

The output was equivalent to 41.478 million 50-kilo bags, compared with 41.672 million bags a year earlier.

Demand for raw sugar declined by 17.9% to 1.988 MMT, the SRA said. Total sugarcane milled dropped by 8.8% year on year to 21.767 MMT. Refined sugar output fell by 10.7% year on year to 827,187.85 MT.

Retail prices were stable at P45 to P50 a kilo, but were lower than prices of P55 to P64 a year earlier.

For crop year 2019, raw sugar production was expected to fall by 5% to 2.096 MMT, considering factors such as weather conditions and changes in hectarage of planted sugarcane, as well as farmers shifting to other crops. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR