BACOLOD CITY: Amid a steady domestic supply of both raw and refined sugar, the Philippine government will not pursue importation until the middle of next year, top officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) announced on Sunday. 'Given the current situation, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and I agreed that a decision on sugar importation could be delayed until after May, when the current harvest season ends,' Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement released to the media here. According to Philippines News Agency, Tiu Laurel stated that 'there is no immediate need for additional imports as domestic supply of both raw and refined sugar remains stable and sufficient to meet projected needs.' The DA and SRA officials reached this decision during a meeting held at the DA central office in Quezon City on November 7. 'Our supply for both raw and refined sugar are stable and we are just beginning our harvest season so Secretary Tiu Laurel and I agreed that there will be no sugar imports until after harvest sometime in May or June,' Azcona said. The current crop year, which began on September 15, will end in August next year. Azcona, who hails from Negros Occidental, the country's top sugar-producing province, noted that the latest harvest season started slowly, with 'total cane volume reaching only a third of the amount harvested around the same period in the last crop year.' This slow start has been attributed to lower sugar content per ton of cane due to El Niño, as farmers delayed their harvests to allow the cane to mature further and increase sugar content. According to SRA data, the cane became physiologically immature due to prolonged dry spells brought by El Niño. This resulted in a 16 percent lower sugar content per ton of cane, thus constraining sugar output despite an increase in planting areas, from 388,378 hectares in the previous crop year to 389,461 hectares this year. Sugar production for the crop year 2024-2025 is estimated t o reach 1.782 million metric tons, lower by 7.2 percent compared to last year's figures as stated in Sugar Order No. 1.