Sugar milling season to close a month early

MANILA, Philippines - The current sugar milling season is expected to close a month earlier as production  has already reached 83.7 percent of the target for the current crop year, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

SRA administrator Ma. Regina Martin said that because of early planting of sugarcane nationwide, production has already reached 1.79 million metric tons (MT) against the target production of 2.356 million MT  for the current crop year which ends in July or August.

Martin said the milling season is expected to close by May or early June.

She said most of the sugar mills, particularly those in Negros Occidental, would cease to operate by April.

Martin said production is expected to slightly increase the production guidance for the year.

For crop year 2012-2013, domestic sugar production is expected to reach 2.356 million MT,  five percent higher than the total production of 2.243 million MT in the crop year ending August 2012.

Of the total output, the SRA has allocated 10 percent to the US quota sugar,  82 percent to the domestic market, and eight percent to the world market.

The Philippines is keeping its regular US sugar quota of 138,827 MT this year.

Domestic demand is placed at 2.03 million MT, while world market requirement is placed at 247,000 MT.

Rosemarie Gumera, SRA policy and planning manager, said that  the Philippines shipped last week 84,385 MT to newly opened markets like Singapore, Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

In January, the country shipped 27,000 MT of the sweetener under the US quota program.  A second shipment to the US is yet to be made.