The unregulated importation of artificial sweeteners, alongside the influx of refined sugar, is severely impacting the Philippine sugar industry, according to Ronaldo dela Cruz, president of the National Congress of Union in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP).
He made the remarks during a House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing on Wednesday.
“The plummeting mill gate prices are a death sentence for small farmers who are forced to harvest early, sell at a loss, and drown in debt to survive,” dela Cruz said, attributing the crisis to “reckless over-importation,” uncontrolled molasses entry, and the proliferation of sugar alternatives that undermine local farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
Sugar Regulation Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona confirmed that, unlike refined sugar, there are currently no regulatory policies for artificial sweeteners.
“From my knowledge and SRA’s knowledge, there is no regulation on artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes. We made a policy on substitutes in 2025, and the effort was to gather accurate importation data,” Azcona explained.
Azcona also raised concerns over the SRA’s jurisdiction over sweeteners, citing the example of “magic sugar,” a popular artificial sweetener previously banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013 but still sold in markets. He noted that “magic sugar” is cheaper and sweeter than refined sugar.
He added that the sharp rise in local sugar prices—from less than ₱60 per kilo to ₱140 per kilo in 2022—spurred the importation of artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes, further aggravating challenges for domestic sugar producers.