▁to ▁Spain . ▁ ▁The ▁Philippines ▁main ▁agricult ural ▁export ▁comm od ity ▁( late ▁ 1 7 0 0 s – 1 9 7 0 s ) ▁Sug ar ▁became ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁agricult ural ▁export ▁of ▁the ▁Philippines ▁between ▁the ▁late ▁eigh teenth ▁century ▁and ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 7 0 s ▁basically ▁because ▁of ▁two ▁reasons : ▁ 1 ) ▁foreign ▁exchange ▁earned ▁and ▁ 2 ) ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁wealth ▁accum ulation ▁of ▁some ▁Filip ino ▁el ite ▁at ▁that ▁time . ▁To ▁ensure ▁the ▁continuous ▁growth ▁and ▁development ▁of ▁sugar ▁industry ▁under ▁the ▁Commonwealth ▁government , ▁Philipp ine ▁Sug ar ▁Administration ▁( PS A ) ▁was ▁established ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 7 ▁to ▁over see ▁the ▁industry . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁the ▁Sug ar ▁Qu ota ▁Administration ▁( S Q A ) ▁replaced ▁P SA ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 ▁vis - à - vis ▁with ▁Philipp ine ▁Sug ar ▁Institute ▁( PH IL SU G IN ), ▁a ▁research ▁ag ency . ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 0 ▁percent ▁income ▁of ▁Philipp ine ▁exports ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁sugar ▁industry . ▁It ▁decl ined ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁and ▁pl ung ed ▁further ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁to ▁roughly ▁ 7 ▁percent . ▁It ▁was ▁during ▁this ▁period ▁that ▁the ▁government ▁acknowled ged