BACOLOD CITY – The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has set up a demonstration site for the transfer of deep planting technology from Japan at the La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center (LGAREC) in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.

On Tuesday, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, Endo Kazuya, led a team of officials and researchers on a visit to the research center, accompanied by SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.

In a statement, Azcona expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Kazuya, the Japanese government, and the Japanese people for their collaboration in benefiting Filipino farmers.

"It has been a great honor for the SRA to work alongside Japan in improving and sustaining our sugar industry," Azcona said.

Before establishing the demonstration site in Negros Occidental, deep planting technology was trialed at three locations in Pampanga. According to a study conducted by the SRA in collaboration with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), deep planting led to a significant increase in sugarcane yield—ranging from 20.8 percent to 77.23 tons per hectare, up from an average of 63.92 tons per hectare with traditional manual planting.

This increase is roughly equivalent to an additional 28.2 bags of sugar, or a rise in income of PHP 68,215 per hectare.

On Monday, Ambassador Kazuya also delivered a speech at the opening of the two-day Sustainable Development of Sugarcane Cultivation Symposium at the Sugarland Hotel in Bacolod City. The symposium, focused on the outcomes of the five-year Japan-Philippines Collaborative Research project, was led by the SRA and JIRCAS.

Kazuya highlighted that the initiative not only boosts agricultural productivity but also introduces innovative, sustainable technologies that could shape the future of the sugar industry.

SRA PHOTO