Sugar prices should not increase despite some farms experiencing drought in Negros Occidental because the country still has enough supply, a producers group said Wednesday.

Based on the Department of Agriculture’s price monitoring, refined sugar prices range from P73 to P100 while washed sugar is sold at around P61 to P96, and brown sugar is sold at P63 to P90.

In a radio interview, United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (Unified) president Manuel Lamata said supply is still sufficient despite the effects of El Nino being felt because it still has a buffer stock of imports from other countries.

“As far as supply is concerned, we do not have a problem because we have a sugar reserve. Remember that the Philippines imported sugar. Part of that is for the reserve. So we won’t have a problem of our sugar supply running out by the end of the year or by the end of the milling season. None. We have the stocks,” Lamata said.

Lamata said most farms in Negros Occidental, the sugar capital of the Philippines, are suffering from drought and this could result in a 10 percent decrease in production.

“There is drought all over sugar areas. It’s really bad,” he said.

“Those who can afford to run irrigation pumps can still save their crops. But for those who can’t, 90 percent don’t have facilities like that. The sugar content will really drop,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS