The Department of Agriculture (DA) will keep the ban on sugar importation in place until December 2026, extending protection for local producers beyond the end of the current crop year as domestic supply conditions improve.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the extended moratorium, which is longer than the initially discussed September timeline, is necessary to prioritize locally produced sugar and prevent market distortions.
“Based on the current outlook for sugar production and demand, a longer import moratorium than initially suggested is necessary,” Tiu Laurel said, citing stronger domestic raw sugar output.
As chair of the Sugar Board of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), Tiu Laurel said the agency will intensify monitoring of refinery operations to ensure accurate tracking of standard and premium refined sugar inventories. Close oversight, he said, is critical to maintaining market balance and curbing speculative pricing.
Alongside the extended import ban, the DA and SRA are finalizing long-pending regulations on molasses importation, aimed at further shielding domestic producers. Under the proposed framework, molasses users will be required to first purchase and withdraw locally produced molasses before being allowed to import, subject to SRA approval and a predetermined import ratio.
The approach mirrors the earlier Sugar Order No. 2 mechanism, which linked import and export privileges to actual purchases of local sugar. Tiu Laurel said the system helped reduce discretion in allocations, limit corruption risks, and boost demand for domestic sugar, leading to improved farmgate prices.
With the extended sugar import ban and tighter controls on molasses imports, the DA signaled a more assertive, data-driven approach to sugar policy—one aimed at stabilizing prices, preventing market abuse, and ensuring stronger support for local sugar producers.