The 5 Countries That Produce the Most Sugar

Jun 26, 2022
The 5 Countries That Produce the Most Sugar

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About 80% of the world’s sugar is produced from cane grown in tropical and subtropical climates. The remaining 20% comes from sugar beets, that are grown principally within the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere.

Within the 2022/2023 crop yr, world sugar manufacturing is predicted to be 182 million metric tons, up 1.7 million tons from the earlier yr.

Greater than 110 international locations produce sugar and the scale of their contributions is affected by native politics and financial coverage. For instance, the struggle in Ukraine is predicted to scale back its sugar beet consumption by 20% in 2022/2023.

Key Takeaways

  • The most important sugar-producing international locations are Brazil, India, the European Union, Thailand, and China.
  • Sugar is a significant crop for Thailand, which has now recovered from a drought and has regained its earlier ranges of manufacturing.
  • China is a significant producer of sugar however its exports are hampered by excessive tariffs.
  • The market is dominated by cane sugar, at 80% of all manufacturing, however beet sugar is a crucial crop in additional northern climates.

The world’s largest sugar producers are, so as of dimension, Brazil, India, the European Union, Thailand, and China.

1. Brazil

Brazil’s already huge contribution to the world’s sugar provide is predicted to extend by a million tons within the 2022-2023 harvest yr due partly to favorable climate. That is although extra Brazilian farmland is being dedicated to soybeans and corn.

The nation’s improve in manufacturing is also benefiting from a choice to shift a fraction of Brazil’s sugar cane crop from ethanol manufacturing to sugar manufacturing. Along with being the world’s largest sugar producer, Brazil is second solely to the US in ethanol manufacturing.

Because the mid-Nineteen Nineties, the amount of sugar cane harvested and processed in Brazil has nearly tripled. That displays the rising demand for sugar cane ethanol and renewable fuels usually. With no drop in meals manufacturing over that point, Brazil has proved its viability as an efficient and environment friendly ethanol powerhouse.

Nations with extra land, hotter temperatures, and extra rain have a tendency to supply extra sugar.

2. India

India isn’t far behind Brazil in sugar manufacturing and, in actual fact, held the highest spot as late as 2020.

India produces practically 15% of the world’s whole sugar manufacturing. On the similar time, home consumption of sugar is growing.

Its total manufacturing is predicted to lower 3% to 35.8 million tons in 2022-2023.

3. The European Union

This political and financial assortment of 27 nations is the world’s third-largest producer of sugar. Within the 2022/2023 crop yr, the EU is predicted to supply 16.3 million metric tons of sugar. That’s down by about 250,000 tons as European farmers swap from sugarbeet to extra worthwhile crops.

The EU is definitely the world’s largest producer of beet sugar, which makes up 20% of the world’s whole sugar manufacturing.

Beet sugar is primarily produced in northern Europe, together with northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. Drought and the beet yellow virus illness contributed considerably to the decline of European sugar manufacturing within the earlier yr.

4. Thailand

Sugar cane is considered one of Thailand’s most necessary crops, and the nation is now rebounding from a drought that badly harm its manufacturing within the 2020-2021 crop yr. Manufacturing in 2022-2023 is predicted to achieve 10.5 million tons, a slight improve over the earlier yr.

Thailand exports most of its sugar manufacturing and truly ranks second on the planet (after Brazil) as an exporter.

For the 2021–2022 crop yr, sugar cane manufacturing for Thailand is forecast to extend to 90 million metric tons, up 43% from 2019/2020. Home Thai sugar consumption is growing, additional lowering the nation’s export earnings from sugar.

5. China

China’s sugar manufacturing is predicted to rise by 400,000 tons to 10.1 million tons with the 2022-2023 harvest.

Though China is without doubt one of the world’s largest sugar producers, it’s a internet importer of sugar and home demand for sugar has grown considerably through the previous few many years. Traditionally, there was a big hole between home costs, that are held excessive by the Chinese language authorities to assist its farmers, and worldwide sugar costs, which have been falling.

The Chinese language home sugar sector has had problem competing internationally. It has larger manufacturing prices for sugar than a few of its international opponents. China permits for 1.95 million tons of sugar imports a yr at a tariff of 15% attributable to an settlement with the World Commerce Group. Imports past that quantity are topic to larger tariffs of fifty% and require further permits.

For a number of years, China even added to that fifty% tariff. In 2019–2020, the whole tariff for imports over the allowed quota was 85% and even 95%. The tariffs expired in Might 2020, and China didn’t renew them, so that they returned to 50%.