The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said that it is now within 30 percent of the total sugar production target with the output expected to peak early January next year.

In an interview, SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Bautista-Martin said that the sugar industry is nearing the peak of production, noting that over 30 sugar mills national are fully operational in the current crop year, which started September 2012.

“With milling season now in full swing, we are confident that we will meet our production target this year,” Martin said.

In crop year 2012-2013, the Philippines expect sugar production to reach 2.3 million metric tons to 2.4 million MT, or 5 percent higher than the total production of 2.243 million MT in the crop year ending August 2012.

Of the total production, the agency has allocated 10 percent to the US quota sugar, while 82 percent to the domestic sugar, and 8 percent to the world market sugar.

With the allocation, the country will be able to meet the regular US quota of 138,827 MT, a buffer stock for possible additional US quota of about 61,993 MT, about 2.03 million MT of domestic demand (including buffer stocks) and about 247,000 MT for the world market.

Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) showed that production of sugarcane for all uses went up by 57.34 percent to 935, 052 MT in the third quarter of 2012 from 594, 059 MT in the same period last year.

The top producers of sugarcane for the period were Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII), Bicol (Region V) and Soccskargen (Region XII).

About 96.54 percent of the sugarcane produced during the period was processed as sugar.

The SRA is currently encouraging exports to the world market to alleviate domestic glut.

As of November, the agency issued clearance for about 9,140 MT of sugar to be exported in the world market, and another 14,000 MT to be shipped to Japan.

Meanwhile, Martin said that they expect minimal damage to standing sugarcane from the recent typhoon that hit Mindanao, adding that flattened sugarcane areas can still recover.

Based on SRA estimates, Typhoon Pablo damaged only 6 percent to 8 percent of sugarcane production in the province of Bukidnon, which is equivalent to production loss of 30,000 tons of sugar.

“This would not significantly affect sugar production for the current crop year,” Martin said.