INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
BACOLOD CITY — Producers of organic sugar are seeking urgent government assistance amid the worsening damage to their crops due to El Niño.
The Fair Trade Producers Network–Philippines (FTPN-Philippines) in Negros Occidental, led by its chairperson Sandrico Cornelio, said in a press conference on Wednesday, May 8, that the drought and water supply shortage had reduced their crop production by 40 percent.
“Sugarcane production and quality has significantly decreased,” Cornelio said.
The network members are agrarian reform beneficiaries who produce organic and fair trade certified sugarcane used to process muscovado sugar, which they export to different parts of the world, especially Europe.
“We only depend on rain for our crops, especially sugarcane, where we derive our income. Most (of our members) do not have irrigation systems to sustain the volume and quality of our sugarcane production,” he said.
Cornelio said they had lost other crops, including rice, cassava, sweet potato, and vegetables, because of the absence of rain since the third quarter of 2023.
He appealed to the government and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to implement a food-for-work program to sustain production, distribute cash assistance, give technical assistance for food security because sugarcane is a seasonal crop, and grant farm implements and machinery appropriate to their production areas and local communities.
Cornelio said some of their members are partners of SRA for a farm project under the Sugar Industry Reform Act.
“The group hopes that while the drought continues to wreak havoc, the government and other stakeholders will act fast to address their immediate concerns,” Cornelio said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said they expected the drought in Negros Occidental to last until May.