Browse Data and Analysis

In marketing year (MY) 2023/24, Colombia’s sugar production is forecast to increase 2.2 percent to 2.35 million metric tons (MT), due to the end of "La Niña" weather phenomena and the beginning of "El Niño" weather phenomena.

Ecuador's sugar production in marketing year (MY) 2023/24 is forecast to remain at 530,000 MT, the same as the previous year's estimate, despite a significant increase in planted area of sugar cane.

The area planted in sugar beets in MY 2023/24 is forecast marginally higher as some farmers will likely switch to growing beets in hopes of better returns. Despite this increase in acreage, beet sugar production is projected to remain flat year-to-year at 3 million metric tons because of drought conditions.

MY 2022/23 cane sugar production is estimated at 7.92 MMT, revised down 1.08 MMT from the USDA official estimate due to lower-than-normal rainfall in Guangxi, China’s largest sugar producing province. Sugar consumption has begun to rebound since after the removal of COVID-related restrictions. As China’s sugar imports are curbed by high world prices, stocks are likely to decline.

Post forecasts Jamaica’s sugar production down eight percent to 36,000 metric tons (MT) for marketing year (MY) 2023/2024, an outlook that reinforces a trend already underway with past estimates for this waning industry.

Kenya’s sugar production is expected to decline in MY 2023/24 to 650,000 metric tons (MT) due to lower area harvested as Kenya farmers prematurely harvest sugar cane in MY 2022/23 to meet Kenya’s increasing milling demand.

FAS Manila forecasts marketing year (MY) 2024 raw sugar production at 1.9 million metric tons (MT). Higher prices encouraged more farmers to plant sugarcane and better fertilization is expected to result in higher production. Post expects limited exports to resume in 2024 given high production and high carryover stocks.

Sugar production in Venezuela is forecast to increase by 13 percent to 300,000 MT in marketing year (MY) 2023/24 due to improved access to quality inputs, a reduction in diesel shortages, and higher prices to producers.

Sugar production in marketing year (MY) 23 is estimated at 805,000 metric tons (MT), while production for MY22 reached 785,000 MT. Improving international prices have eased the financial burden exerted by the high cost of inputs on the sugar sector.

As a severe drought looms large over the sugar mill areas in the Dominican Republic (DR) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to prohibit sugar and sugar-based imports from the top Dominican producer, Post forecasts local production at 530,000 metric tons (MT) for marketing year (MY) 2023/24 (October/September), 12 percent down from the MY 2022/23 estimates.

Australia’s sugar production is forecast to increase to 4.4 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 2023/24, from an estimated 4.2 MMT in MY 2022/23. This increase is due to an expected rise in sugar cane crush to 33.5 MMT in MY 2023/24, from an estimate of 32.6 MMT in the previous year.

Private sugar mills expansion leads to increased production in 2022/2023. El Nino, which usually increases sugar content in sugarcane and continues area expansion by private sugar mills is forecast to further increase plantation white sugar production in 2023/24 to 2.6 million metric tons (MMT).