Inquirer·Philippines·

Is sugar in Negros still sweet?

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Dr. Teodoro Mendoza PhD

For more than a century, Negros Occidental has been known as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines. The province produces roughly two-thirds of the country’s sugar and has long been an economic anchor of Western Visayas.

Sugar has shaped not only the landscape but also the livelihoods of generations of farmers, farmworkers, truck drivers, mill employees, traders, mechanics and small-business operators.

Today, however, a troubling question confronts the province and the nation: Is sugar in Negros still sweet?

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Increasingly, the answer appears to be no.

A crisis beyond the farm

Many explanations have been offered for the industry’s decline. Some point to the widespread infestation of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), which has damaged tens of thousands of hectares of sugarcane. Others blame climate change, rising fertilizer prices, labor shortages, inefficient sugar mills or competition from imported sweeteners.

All these factors contribute to the problem.

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But the crisis is deeper than any single cause. It is the result of multiple stresses acting simultaneously on an already weakened agricultural system.

Pest outbreaks reduce yields. Rising production costs force farmers to cut fertilizer use. Soil fertility declines. Climate shocks intensify losses. Lower incomes prevent reinvestment. Productivity falls further.

Eventually, a vicious cycle develops from which farmers find it increasingly difficult to escape.

The consequences extend far beyond individual farms. Sugarcane remains one of the largest employers in Philippine agriculture. When sugar production declines, the impact ripples throughout the rural economy.

Farm laborers are hired for fewer days.

Harvesting crews receive less work.

Truck operators transport fewer cane deliveries.

Sugar mills process lower volumes.

Small stores lose customers.

Local governments collect less revenue.

The cumulative effect is a widespread contraction of economic activity.

The sugar industry’s contribution to employment is often underestimated.

Unlike many crops that generate work only during planting and harvest, sugar supports year-round employment through land preparation, planting, crop maintenance, irrigation, fertilization, harvesting, trucking, milling, warehousing, processing and marketing.

Every peso earned in sugar farming circulates through local communities.

When sugar output declines, the first casualties are often farmworkers.

Historically, Negros has experienced painful lessons from the social consequences of sugar industry collapse. During previous sugar crises, widespread unemployment contributed to severe poverty, malnutrition, migration and social unrest. Entire communities experienced economic hardship as employment opportunities disappeared.

The danger today is that history may repeat itself.

If production continues to decline while costs continue to rise, farmers will inevitably reduce labor requirements wherever possible. Some farms may scale back operations. Others may abandon less productive land altogether.

The result would be fewer jobs, lower rural wages and greater poverty.

For a country already struggling with underemployment and rural unemployment, this is a serious concern.

The decline of sugar is therefore not only about sweeteners. It is about jobs.

Every reduction in sugar production potentially means thousands of lost workdays across the value chain.

Soil degradation: The forgotten cause

Discussions about the sugar crisis often focus on pests, prices and climate change. Yet one of the most important causes receives relatively little attention: soil degradation.

The reality is simple. Sugar production begins with healthy soil.

For decades, many sugar-producing areas have been subjected to continuous monocropping, repeated tillage, heavy dependence on synthetic fertilizers and widespread burning of sugarcane trash before harvest.

These practices have gradually depleted soil organic matter and weakened the biological foundation of sugar production.

Research worldwide consistently shows that soil organic matter serves as an engine of agricultural productivity. It stores nutrients, retains water, supports beneficial microorganisms, improves root growth and helps crops withstand drought.

When soil organic matter declines, farms become increasingly dependent on external inputs simply to maintain existing yields.

Many sugar lands in Negros have likely lost a substantial portion of their original organic matter after decades of intensive cultivation. In upland areas, erosion has removed fertile topsoil, leaving less productive soils that are increasingly vulnerable to drought and nutrient deficiency.

The result is declining productivity even as farmers spend more on fertilizers and other inputs.

This is why the sugar crisis should be viewed not merely as a pest problem or an economic problem, but as a bioeconomic crisis rooted in ecological decline.

Climate change is making the situation worse

Climate change is amplifying existing weaknesses.

Sugarcane requires a relatively predictable balance of rainfall and sunshine. Increasingly erratic weather patterns are disrupting that balance.

El Niño episodes reduce soil moisture and suppress crop growth. Intense rainfall causes flooding, waterlogging, nutrient leaching and harvest delays. Extended wet periods can reduce sugar accumulation in cane, lowering sugar recovery during milling.

Because many sugar lands already suffer from degraded soil conditions, their ability to withstand climatic extremes is significantly reduced.

Healthy soils function like sponges. They absorb rainfall and store moisture for dry periods.

Degraded soils do not.

Consequently, climate change and soil degradation reinforce one another, increasing both production risks and economic losses.

A threat to food and economic security

Some people may ask why declining sugar production should matter when sugar is not a staple food like rice.

The answer lies in the broader concept of food-system resilience.

Sugar is a major industrial input used in food manufacturing, beverages, pharmaceuticals, confectionery products and, increasingly, biofuel production. When domestic sugar production becomes inadequate, the country must rely more heavily on imports.

READ: Negros Occidental gov calls for ‘compassionate’ pricing of sugar

Dependence on imports creates vulnerabilities.

Global supply disruptions, exchange-rate fluctuations, geopolitical conflicts, shipping problems and export restrictions can quickly affect domestic availability and prices.

Recent global crises have demonstrated how fragile international supply chains can be. Excessive dependence on imports reduces national resilience and exposes consumers and industries to uncertainties beyond the country’s control.

Sugar should therefore be viewed not only as an agricultural commodity but also as part of a broader national food security strategy.

The cost of doing nothing

If present trends continue, the consequences could be severe.

Declining yields will reduce farm profitability. Fewer workers will be hired. Rural spending will contract.

Migration from agricultural communities to urban areas will increase. Poverty and unemployment pressures will intensify.

Meanwhile, dependence on imported sugar will continue to grow.

Negros Occidental may gradually lose the economic dynamism that allowed it to become the country’s premier sugar-producing region.

The cost of inaction is therefore measured not only in tons of sugar but also in lost jobs, lost incomes and lost opportunities for rural Filipinos.

A different future is possible

Fortunately, the Philippine sugar industry, which now faces multiple intertwined crises, also possesses enormous potential for transformation.

The first step must be rebuilding soil health.

A provincewide effort to restore soil organic matter through green-cane harvesting, trash retention, composting, cover crops, biofertilizers, agroforestry and conservation farming could significantly improve productivity and climate resilience.

Second, RSSI infestations must be controlled through coordinated pest-management programs involving government agencies, research institutions, farmer organizations and local governments.

Third, sugar mills require modernization to improve recovery rates and operational efficiency.

Fourth, farmers must gain better access to affordable credit, crop insurance, technical support, mechanization services and climate-smart technologies.

Equally important is strengthening farmer cooperatives. Smallholders operating individually often lack the scale necessary to access machinery, negotiate favorable prices and invest in innovation.

Strong cooperatives can improve bargaining power and enhance competitiveness throughout the value chain.

Beyond sugar: Building a bioeconomy

The future of Negros need not depend solely on sugar.

Sugarcane can become the foundation of a diversified rural bioeconomy.

Around the world, sugar-producing regions increasingly generate income not only from sugar but also from ethanol, renewable electricity, organic fertilizers, biochar and other value-added products.

Bagasse, the fibrous residue left after juice extraction, can be used to generate electricity.

Molasses can be processed into ethanol.

Mill byproducts can be converted into organic fertilizers.

Solar energy systems can complement bioenergy production and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Such diversification creates new employment opportunities while reducing vulnerability to fluctuations in sugar prices.

Most importantly, it allows rural communities to generate income from multiple revenue streams rather than relying exclusively on raw sugar production.

Saving jobs by saving the industry

At its core, the debate about sugar is a debate about people.

The future of the industry will affect hundreds of thousands of workers and millions of family members whose livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on sugar.

Saving the sugar industry is therefore not about preserving nostalgia for a historic crop. It is about protecting employment, sustaining rural economies, strengthening food security and creating new opportunities for future generations.

The challenge confronting Negros Occidental is real, but it is not insurmountable.

With decisive action, the province can move beyond the current crisis and become a global example of climate-smart, regenerative and employment-generating agriculture.

But such a transformation requires recognizing a fundamental truth.

The crisis of the sugar industry did not begin in the sugar mill or in the marketplace.

It began in the soil.

And if Negros hopes to restore the sweetness of sugar, the recovery must begin there as well.

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[Teodoro C. Mendoza, Ph.D., is a retired professor and UP scientist at the Institute of Crop Sciences, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños.]

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