SANTIAGO CITY—While the world is scrambling for its sugar supply, this city in southern Isabela is intensifying its muscovado sugar production.
“The reported high demand of sugar in both domestic and international markets does not alarm us because we have the healthy answer right in our backyards,” said Lolo Juan Paredes, the sugarcane farmer in Bannawag Norte of this city, who first introduced the industry in his village.
Shifting to high gears, the Santiago City local government has changed its One Town, One Product from the chunky sweet patupat (glutinous rice cooked in sugarcane syrup wrapped in palm leaves) to muscovado sugar.
“While patupat is an Ilocano classic, it cannot provide farmers a lucrative source of income because it is perishable and limited to the domestic market only,” Paredes said.
While a large-scale muscovado sugar processing plant is in blue print, homemade production of the organic sugar is done at the backyards of local sugarcane farmers.
Initially, the city government, through its agriculture department, allotted 260,000 hybrid sugarcane rootstocks dispersed to interested farmers.
The Philippine Sugar Authority has provided scientific training to local farmers engaged in muscovado sugar production.
While into organic farming, Paredes is optimistic in upgrading and maximizing the quality and quantity of organic sugar products to world-class standards.
“Because of our limited space, there is really a need for us to ensure our products would stand out to command attractive prices, not only domestically but also in the foreign market, as well,” Paredes projected.
Muscovado is an unrefined golden-brown sugar with a strong molasses aroma. Ideal for black coffee, other drinks and baked products, it is a major export product of the country.
“For health reasons, I encourage everyone to shift to using muscovado sugar because of its organic attributes without artificial preservatives,” Paredes said.