Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said he has been approached by several farmers' groups to delay the opening of the milling season by at least two weeks.
Azcona who spoke at the Philsutech Convention in Cebu City said if the mills can get their acts together and agree to a 2-week delay, it will be a win-win solution for the industry.
In 2003, SRA also delayed the opening of the milling to September 1, two weeks than earlier planned, and announced that for this year, milling will start by September 15.
With the announcement, Victorias Milling Company and Universal Robina Corporation, two of the biggest mill operators said they have "no objection' to the proposed 2-week delay.
Renato Cabati, Managing Director of URC said they "strongly agree" for all mills to start their operations together, at least in Negros Occidental where mills start ahead of everybody else in the country.
Azcona said that while he agreed last year to a September 15 opening this milling season, "nobody expected the effects of the long drought and many, if not all, are just at the recovery period now. Harvesting the canes by September 15 will yield less sugar for farmers."
Moreover, if most farmers are not willing to cut their canes prematurely, it will be a problem for the mills as they might have intermittent operations which will be costly in the long run. We need our mills to run efficiently and at full capacity, Azcona added.
The SRA head also asked Terence Uygongko of the Philippine Sugar Millers Assn. who was present at the plenary to bring the mills together and "make a collective decision that is a win-win for all" especially for the farmers.
Azcona said that while the big planters can afford the delay, "the small farmers may have difficulty of having their income delayed for even 2 weeks, and this is where the mills and the associations, including your SRA, can come into play by offering incentives, loans and more importantly, make them understand the higher yield which will translate to profit if everybody agrees to this.
He added that he has been informed by mills in Luzon that they will delay their opening by a month.
Meanwhile, Azcona hinted that Sugar Order No. 1 will be 100% B sugar.