Philippines Sugar insights

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) have delayed their decision on sugar importation following the stable domestic supply of raw and refined sugar in the country.

There was a moment in history when sugar was so valuable that people locked it up in a "sugar safe". Sanskrit literature from ancient India, written between 1500-500 BC, offered the first documentation of the cultivation of sugarcane. However, the way people view this sweet, addictive carbohydrate has changed over the years. Today, sugar addiction in seen as the main trigger behind the global obesity epidemic, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Certain cancers (oesophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, breast, kidney, thyroid, and gallbladder) have also all been linked to obesity. In 2022, 1 in 8 people in the world were living with obesity, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).An estimated 184,000 deaths and 8.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide were attributable to sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption, as per the World Bank's 2010 estimates. As a result, sugar taxes are on the rise. We exp

The country's raw sugar production could fall below 1.8 million metric tons (MT) in the new crop year, the lowest level in 25 years, after farms reeled from the effects of El Niño, resulting in stunted growth of sugarcanes. The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) estimates that raw sugar output in the current crop year 2024-2025