MANILA— The government is coordinating measures to address mounting challenges confronting the Philippine sugar industry as producers contend with pest infestation, drought risks, rising costs and competition from artificial sweeteners.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) are leading the government’s efforts under the direction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The government has deployed financial assistance, chemical controls, drones and biological measures to contain the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), particularly in sugar-producing areas in the Visayas.

Tiu Laurel said First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos was also designated to help lead the stakeholder effort. Her visit to Negros, where she met farmers, workers, industry groups and government officials, helped bring stakeholders together and laid the groundwork for the creation of the Sugar Industry Pest and Disaster Management Task Force.

The task force brings together government agencies tasked with addressing production, climate, financing and disaster-related concerns affecting the sector.

“We need to support our local sugar industry with assistance, but also with the right policies and legislation that will allow our farmers and the industry to remain productive and competitive. The current DA/SRA cooperation have continually came out with new policies in this regard.” Tiu Laurel said.

SRA administrator and chief executive officer Pablo Luis Azcona said protecting the industry was also necessary because of its role in providing jobs and livelihoods in sugar-producing communities.

“We have to provide protection to an industry that provides jobs to thousands of Filipinos, particularly in sugar producing areas. It is because of this that the current SRA Board and DA Sec Tiu-Laurel has came out with a number of pioneering sugar industry protection and transparency policies,” Azcona said.

Beyond production concerns, sugar groups are seeking legislative and regulatory measures to address competition from artificial sweeteners and other substitutes, which they said have contributed to weaker demand for locally produced sugar.

A unified industry manifesto submitted to the DA and SRA called for tighter regulation of artificial sweeteners.

Tiu Laurel has said the agencies would work on the issue, describing sugar substitutes as an “extraneous force” affecting demand for local sugar.

Industry data showed that artificial sweeteners accounted for 18.4% of the market in the 2024-2025 period, equivalent to 503,117 metric tons. Over the same period, demand for refined sugar declined by 13.89%.

The industry has also called on lawmakers to revisit the tax treatment of sugar and its substitutes.

Among the proposals is to reserve the lower tax bracket for beverages made with pure Philippine cane sugar, while placing beverages containing artificial substitutes and imported products in a higher tax tier.

The groups also sought the removal of exemptions for stevia.

The measures being pursued cover both immediate and longer-term concerns, including controlling pests, addressing weather-related production risks, easing financial pressures and protecting demand for locally produced sugar.