SRA sees over P1.2B sugar industry loss in Visayas due to Tino

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Friday said it has pegged an estimated loss of over P1.2 billion in the sugar industry in the Visayas following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.

In a statement, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the estimated loss was based on a partial assessment of the damage caused by the weather disturbance which wrought havoc over 53,000 hectares covering the mill districts in Negros Island, Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte and Cebu, affecting more than 16,000 sugar farmers.

Azcona said the assessment was conducted only recently, “and only after our research facilities and employees were able to recover from the destruction brought about by Tino.”

The SRA chief added that the sugar industry regulator has mobilized field personnel to conduct a full assessment of all areas including farmlands that were in the path of Typhoon Uwan as well “so we can have a full picture of the damage these two major disasters caused in sugar land areas.”

“We have seen entire fields decimated by Tino especially in the fourth and fifth districts of Negros Occidental were harvestable canes were flattened and flooded and we can only hope that these fields will be able to recover,” he said.

Azcona said there are expected delays in milling with four mills forced to stop operations for almost a week as they too have been damaged, citing the mills in La Carlota City and Binalbagan that had to shut down for a week before they were able to refire their mills.

“Typhoon Tino was among the strongest storms and the heaviest flooding we experienced in the past two decades and a major challenge to our industry that is already facing problems with the RSSI infestation,” he said.

“Tino also flooded areas which have never been flooded in history, and our understanding is that the flooding was also brought about by Mt. Kanlaon's continuous ashfalls, clogging rivers and vital drainage with ash and lahar,” he added.

Azcona said the SRA has started procuring fertilizers to aid farmers who were badly affected and these will soon be distributed to mill districts and sugar associations.

Hardest hit were sugar lands in BISCOM (Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company) mill district covering Himamaylan City and the towns of Isabela, Binalbagan, Hinigaran and Moises Padilla where over 20,000 hectares of sugar lands were severely damaged, followed by the La Carlota mill district with over 10,000 hectares, San Carlos district which includes Canlaon, Sagay-Danao district, and Ma-ao  District, mainly we call Central Negros, according to the SRA chief.

“These are partial reports from the field and we expect the numbers to grow after we have the full assessment from the field, with an initial conservative drop of 500,000 bags or more or raw sugar, not counting the molasses drop,” Azcona said.

The SAR chief said he remains hopeful that the industry will recover and “there is no better time than now for all stakeholders to come together and help each other to ensure that no one is left behind and we remain steadfast as a united sugar industry.” — BAP, GMA Integrated News