Production of around 2.4 to 2.5 million metric tons (MT) of sugar is considered to be self-sufficient for the Philippines, said an official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), reports various regional media.
Pablo Luis S. Azcona, acting administrator and Chief Executive officer, of SRA, said, “Our objective is to make the farmers improve their production as we need to produce about 2.4 to 2.5 million metric tons to be self-sufficient”.
“Compared to other countries, our farm size is smaller, around 1-2 hectares and we need to bring together small farmers into cooperatives to increase production,” he said.
Around 90% of the farmers own one and two hectares of land, Azcona said.
The sugar production is estimated to be 1.79 million MT and the demand is at 2.3 million MT, he said.
