The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has permitted the importation of not more than 424,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar starting July 15 but not later than Nov. 30, 2025.
The SRA issued Sugar Order Number 8, series 2024 to 2025, on Tuesday, July 8, but made it public on Wednesday, July 9.
The agency said the move will ensure enough supply of sugar for domestic consumption and buffer stock.
The SRA added that importers who previously responded to the government’s appeal for the purchase of local sugar supply, and exported raw sugar to the United States to fulfill the Philippines’ tariff rate quota, were the ones allowed to bring in refined sugar from July 15 to Nov. 30, 2025.
The SRA explained that refined sugar imported under SO 8, will be classified as reserve supply, subject to future disposition or reclassification.
“Imported sugar classified under this SO shall only be stored in an SRA-registered warehouse or directly to the consumer’s warehouse as indicated in the importer’s application. However, the declared consumer’s warehouses must be pre-inspected to avoid co-mingling of imported sugar stock and domestic sugar stock,” the order further read.
Earlier, the SRA, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said that sugar production for crop year 2024 to 2025 as of June 8, 2025, stood at 2.015 million MT, which was 4.7 percent higher than the 1.92 million MT produced in crop year 2023 to 2024.
Current demand for sugar in the country has been estimated at 2.3 million MT, the SRA said.
Based on the DA’s monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, the prevailing retail prices as of July 8 ranged from P74 to P90 per kilogram for refined sugar; P68 to P85 per kg for washed sugar; and P65 to P90 per kg for brown sugar.
