Japanese tech sweetens Philippine sugar yield
Sugar plantations in the Philippines recorded a 20.8-percent increase in yield after adopting Japan’s modern planting technology, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
In a study conducted by the SRA and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (Jircas) from February 2024 to October 2025, it was found out that Japan’s deep planting method had increased sugarcane yields to 77.23 tons per hectare compared with just 63.92 tons per hectare using manual planting.
This translated to additional harvest of 28.2 bags of sugar per hectare, increasing farmers’ income by P68,215 to reach P140,215 per hectare, the agency said.
Deep planting is a cultivation technique that involves planting sugarcanes around 30 centimeters (cm) deep into the soil, unlike the traditional planting method at a shallow depth of 10 to 20 cm.
“Depth planting is an important part of sugarcane ratooning, a method to propagate new sugarcane by leaving sugarcane roots during the harvest to create another yield,” the SRA said earlier.
As stated on its website, Jircas said the cultivation method had been originally developed for arid regions of Thailand. The method also suppressed lodging caused by typhoons and supported sugarcane growth under drought stress in the Philippines, according to the study.
“These findings suggest that the technology can support higher productivity and reduce environmental impact in monsoon Asia’s sugarcane-producing areas,” it added.
Jircas, along with Japanese firms YANMAR Agribusiness Co., Ltd. and DM Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd., developed this planting method in the drought-prone northeast region of Thailand.
Field trials
Jircas, the Japanese companies and SRA conducted joint field trials to determine the viability of the deep planting technique in maintaining stable sugarcane production even under extreme weather conditions.
Yoshifumi Terajime, Jircas’ senior researcher, said earlier they were able to confirm the effectiveness of deep planting. This resulted in improved cane yield and ratooned crops and enhanced logging tolerance. It also noted a higher germination rate, or the sprouting and growing of seeds.
“It has been a great honor for SRA to work with the Japanese towards the improvement and sustainability of our industry,” SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in his speech during the Sustainable Development of Sugarcane Cultivation Symposium in Bacolod City.
Japan’s Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said this partnership reflected the growing partnership to address the challenges affecting the agriculture sector.
“I commend how this project not only boosts agricultural productivity, but also pioneers innovative, sustainable technologies,” Kazuya said. “Now an integral part of Jircas and SRA’s research efforts, it ensures sustainable sugarcane production, even in extreme weather conditions.”
