Worldwide Sugar Producers.

The world’s leading sugar producers are, Brazil, India, China and Thailand. Between them their global production for 2021/22 is 189 million tonnes, marking a potential increase of 4.7 million tonnes. This figure compares favourably with the highest ever global output produced on record, which was 201.9 million tonnes in 2017/18. Other major players operate from Australia, Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan, the West Indies, Argentina and the USA.

In Europe, France, Germany and Poland are the most important sugar producers. In the same harvest year, a total of 18 countries in the European Union produced around 18 million tonnes of sugar. Output increases in The Netherlands and the Czech Republic helped the EU’s 27 member states and the United Kingdom’s (UK) sugar production reach 15.5 million tonnes in 2020/21, compared to 17.3 million tonnes in 19/20. However, stocks remain low at 1.3 million tonnes.

In the UK, beet sugar production for 20/21 was only 0.9 million tonnes compared to 1.19 million tonnes in 19/20, due to wet weather in the sowing season followed by Virus Yellows on the beets.

A dry April, particularly in the UK, followed by rainfall and sunny periods has helped the beets recover considerably, suggesting a slightly better than average yield for the campaign later in the year despite lower acreage. However, three years of below-average yields and the reduced use of neonicotinoids, coupled with increased rapeseed and wheat prices, has discouraged EU/UK farmers to grow sugar beet. The EU has, therefore, exported 850,000 tonnes of beet sugar and imported 1.6 million tonnes of mainly cane sugar. At 8.4 million tonnes, the UK and EU’s stocks are now the lowest since 2017.