MANILA — Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution calling for a Senate inquiry into the worsening challenges facing the Philippine sugar industry, including a review of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) charter and the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015.

Hontiveros said that despite the passage of SIDA and the existence of the SRA, the competitiveness of the local sugar industry has steadily declined over the years due to low farm productivity, high production costs, and inefficient milling operations.

“The laws were meant to strengthen the sugar industry and improve the incomes of farmers and workers. But today, our sugar remains expensive, our mills lag behind, and our farmers are struggling to compete,” Hontiveros said.

Senate Resolution No. 298 stressed that local producers continue to fall behind major sugar-producing countries such as Brazil, Thailand, and Colombia. Even with local production reaching a four-year high in 2025, domestic supply met only 87 percent of local demand.

The resolution noted that sugar prices remain high despite imports and lower global prices. It also warned that cheaper sugar substitutes and misdeclared imports hurt local producers and cause revenue losses for the government.

“Ang ating mga magsasaka ay namomroblema sa tumataas na cost pero mababa ang productivity. Habang patuloy namang nagdurusa ang mga konsyumer sa mataas na presyo ng asukal. The system is failing both farmers and consumers,” Hontiveros said.

The sugar industry supports around 700,000 workers and the livelihoods of five to six million Filipinos.

The resolution also seeks a review of current SRA regulations that link sugar import privileges to mandatory purchases and warehousing of local buffer stocks, as well as compliance with U.S. export quotas. According to the resolution, these rules appear to favor large, highly capitalized trader-millers and may be consolidating control of the sugar market in the hands of a few players.

The resolution stated that SIDA was meant to boost the sugar industry’s competitiveness and raise farmers’ incomes, but more than a decade later, its implementation and use of the ₱2-billion annual budget need urgent review as these goals remain unmet.

“Kailangan ayusin ang mga sira at ihiwalay ang mga bulok sa sistema. We need policies that truly raise productivity, lower costs, protect small farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries, and make sugar affordable for Filipino consumers,” Hontiveros concluded.