While operations in Hacienda Luisita are significantly paralyzed by the 
strike of sugar mill and farmworkers, another dissent of sugar producers is 
looming, in Batangas.

      Last year, sugar operations in the said province went irregular when one of 
the sugar central, Batangas Sugar Central, Inc. (BSCI) closed down, leaving 
its millworkers jobless and thousands of farmworkers and small planters 
with no source of income.  Moreover, this caused all the sugar produce of 
the province to be milled at Central Azucarera de Don Pedro (CADP) owned by 
the Roxas.

     The last year's sugar crisis in the province caused havoc to the livelihood 
of sugar farmworkers and small planters.  According to Herbert Holgado, 
secretary-general of the alliance Sugarfolk Unity for Genuine Agricultural 
Reform (SUGAR), about 48,000 families have been affected by the last year's 
crisis.

    "Because CADP was the only sugar central that was left, sugarcane located 
at the BSCI district was either a last priority to be milled, underpriced 
or was not absorbed by the CADP," said Holgado.  His group also reported 
that thousands of tons of sugarcane were left unreaped and let dried.

     With the concentration of sugar at CADP, local prices of sugar plummeted to 
a new level.  Beforehand, sugar cane prices were based on the milled raw 
sugar, but at present, small  planters were forced to sell their sugar cane 
at P300 a ton, which is a newer practice caused by the crisis.

     Holgado added, "Before, sugar cane value was determined by its milled raw 
sugar milled, which ranged before to P850 to P1,000 per fifty-kg bag.  It 
fell to P610 to 740 per bag last January.  The cases of selling the sugar 
cane per ton priced at P300 also materialized, which was not practiced 
before.  The emergence of these worse cases demonstrates that the industry 
is indeed in crisis, hence, must be resolved."

     Though BSCI opened late September, farmworkers and small planters are still 
doubtful that it can sustain operations, or may abruptly close down again 
as it has done last year.  Still, CADP is seen to be the main sugar central 
in Batangas, thus, would enjoy monopsony (buyer's monopoly).

     For these reasons, the SUGAR alliance, with its principal member 
organization Kaisahan ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Batangas, Inc. (KAISAHAN), 
Batangas' provincial sugar farmworkers organization, is planning to hold a 
dialogue with SRA Administrator James Ledesma on Thursday, to discuss 
matters regarding the sugar crisis in Batangas.  Along with this, hundreds 
of member farmworkers and supporters will conduct a program outside the SRA.

     Since last year's crisis, the alliance is calling for government 
intervention, such as the guarantee of BSCI's continued operation and 
regulation of CADP sugar buying.#
 

KMP - 11 November 2004