The brunt of the dry spell to the sugarcane industry in Negros Occidental is palpable. The impact of the El Niño phenomenon is not just upon water sources and crops but also on certain jobs.

According to the United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed), damage to sugarcane production in the province that hit the billion-peso mark, as water sources deplete and sugarcane fields dry up, also includes plantation workers and sugarmill workers.

Planters, for example, have embarked on an early milling activity. The regular milling schedule should have been in May or June yet but planters have started milling in March because of the end of harvest season, according to Manuel Lamata, Unifed president.

Sugar mills are bound to close operations as early as April which means that the impact of El Niño is also upon certain jobs.

“Milling will end early. That’s too early. Dapat nga May or June na sila masira. As early as March, April masira na ni. That’s a bad sign. That means production is low,” Lamata added.

The federation, however, assured that no spike in sugar prices will transpire despite the low sugarcane production.

“Ang presyo nag-stabilize. Magsaka gid man na dyutay. Ang sugar ta is very controlled,” Lamata further said.

The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental said that declaration of a state of calamity is based on the assessment of local government units.