THE government regulates the national sugar industry as if it were not a strategic commodity. A number of targets and programs to revitalize the national sugar industry have been nothing more than lip service. Now a number of sugar mills in East Java and Central Java, most of which are state-owned enterprises (SOEs), are facing severe problems.

In the last three weeks, four sugar refineries owned by Perkebunan Nusantara X, namely Lestari refine