CONFED urges government aid for sugar farmers amid Middle East war risks
CONFED asked the Department of Agriculture for fertilizer aid, subsidies for marginal farmers and implementation of a government 'Purchase-and-Park' sugar buying program to offset rising input costs and depressed millgate prices.
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Incorporated (CONFED) has formally asked the Philippine government to step in to protect sugar farmers from mounting economic pressure. CONFED delivered a letter to Agriculture Secretary and Sugar Board Chair Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., relayed by Planters’ representative Dave Andrew Sanson, outlining immediate support requests.
CONFED requested the Department of Agriculture to prioritize fertilizer assistance and other subsidies for marginal farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries. The association frames these measures as necessary to mitigate rising production costs that threaten farm profitability and operational viability.
A central demand is implementation of the proposed 'Purchase-and-Park' Sugar Buying Program, a government-financed sugar buying scheme CONFED describes as the only substantive relief for producers facing depressed millgate prices. The program is intended to provide temporary demand support and price buffering for growers.
CONFED president Aurelio Valderrama warned that the conflict on the Middle East involving the US/Israel and Iran has pushed up fuel and fertilizer prices. He cautioned that sustained input-cost inflation could damage food production and overall agricultural output if not addressed, with farmers already bearing much of the burden.
Valderrama offered to join a Technical Working Group to design implementation details for the buying program. On March 4, during a side meeting in the House of Representatives with Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and NACUSIP President Roland de la Cruz, Azcona agreed to endorse the government-buying program advocated by CONFED and NACUSIP.
CONFED emphasized the need for ongoing communication and coordination among stakeholders, stressing that the sugar sector requires collaborative measures to shield producers from price shocks and rising input costs.