Negros Occidental Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo brought to Congress’ attention the struggles of small farmers amid the ongoing crisis in the sugar industry, delivering a privilege speech on Monday. “I rise here today not for myself, but for the entire sugar industry and its stakeholders, the majority of whom are small marginalized sugar farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries.
“Christmas is a time of joy and celebration—a season filled with cakes, desserts, and sweet treats made possible by our small farmers’ sugar production. Christmas is supposed to be sweet, but for thousands of sugar farmers, their Christmas this year will be bitter,” he lamented. Yulo also revealed that the required raw sugar buffer stock is around 200,000 metric tons for a 60-day supply. However, as of November 15, the supply had dropped to only 150,000 metric tons—just a 45-day supply.