SRA sets rules on molasses importation

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January 8, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Traders and importers must first purchase locally produced molasses before being allowed to import molasses at a ratio established by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) as the government moves to tighten regulation of the commodity.

The SRA issued Molasses Order (MO) 2 that outlined the new molasses importation rules.

Under the guidelines, eligible participants must purchase locally produced molasses first before being given an import allocation that they can use in the future to bring in foreign supplies of the commodity.

The participants will be allowed to import one kilo of molasses for every three kilos of molasses that they bought from local producers.

The buy-local-first policy was set by the SRA following consultations with industry stakeholders and taking into consideration actual molasses stocks in the country.

“The SRA deems necessary to implement a ‘purchase of locally produced molasses in order to avail of the privilege to import molasses’ so as to give priority to the purchase and use of locally produced molasses,” the SRA board said in MO 2.

SRA administrator and CEO Pablo Luis Azcona said the moratorium on the importation of molasses until March 2026 still stands. He added that the moratorium may still be extended depending on the country’s molasses supply situation.

Nevertheless, MO 2 covers all molasses produced beginning Jan. 8 of the current crop year 2025-2026. The SRA’s regulation department will also issue a corresponding memorandum circular that will outline the implementing rules and regulations of MO 2. The forthcoming rules will include the timeline for molasses importation.

Nevertheless, MO 2 stipulated that molasses bought by prospective importers must be withdrawn from sugar mills or tanks within a month from receipt of the SRA of their respective import applications.

The eligible participants are required to submit the following documents certifying that they have bought locally produced molasses: molasses storage certificate and withdrawn molasses release order.

“The monitoring of the molasses purchased under this order shall be reported through a weekly SMS report, and shall be verified by the SRA regulations officer assigned at sugar mills,” MO 2 read.

The SRA has implemented a moratorium on molasses importation following the plunge in molasses prices brought about by significant increase in nationwide stocks.

The country’s molasses stocks as of Dec. 14, 2025 stood at 460,000 metric tons, about 35 percent higher than the 340,976 MT recorded in the same period of 2024, based on SRA data. Of the total stocks, 244,378 MT were carried over from the previous crop year while 215,658 MT were produced since the current crop year began last Oct. 1, 2025.

Molasses prices during the reference period are down by 56 percent year-on-year to P7,088.33 per MT from P16,476.15 per MT, SRA data showed.