The Department of Agriculture (DA) clarified on Sunday that the ban on sugar importation will remain in place until December next year—not September, when the current crop year ends—extending protection for local producers amid improving supply conditions.
“Based on the current outlook for sugar production and demand, a longer import moratorium than initially suggested is necessary,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said. Citing stronger domestic raw sugar output, Tiu Laurel stressed that the policy is aimed at prioritizing locally produced sugar and stabilizing the market.
As chair of the Sugar Board—the policymaking body of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA)—Tiu Laurel said the agency will step up monitoring of refinery operations to maintain an accurate picture of standard and premium-grade refined sugar inventories. Close tracking, he added, is critical to preventing supply distortions and speculative pricing.
Beyond the import ban, the DA and SRA are also finalizing a long-delayed regulatory framework governing molasses imports, a move expected to further shield domestic producers. Under the proposed rules, molasses users will first be required to purchase and withdraw locally produced molasses. Only after those obligations are met—and based on a predetermined ratio—will imports be permitted, subject to SRA approval.
The planned system echoes the earlier Sugar Order No. 2 (SO2) mechanism, which tied export and import privileges to actual purchases of local sugar. According to Tiu Laurel, the approach reduced discretion in allocations, curtailed corruption risks, and boosted demand for domestically produced sugar—ultimately helping raise farmgate prices.
With the extended import ban and tighter rules on molasses, the DA is signaling a more assertive stance on sugar policy—one that leans on data, curbs market abuse, and puts local producers first.
