CHINA: 2009/10 sugar production down 6.7% through February
Published: 03/08/2010, 12:25:18 PM
China produced 8.28 million metric tonnes of sugar in the crop year to the end of February, down 6.7% from a year earlier, according to Dow Jones.
Cane sugar production totaled 7.68 million tonnes from Oct. 1-Feb. 28, down from 8.00 million tonnes during the same period in 2008/09. Output of beet sugar was 597,600 tonnes, down from 874,200 tonnes, according to data posted on the Guangxi Sugar Exchange's Web site.
The China Sugar Association revised lower its forecast for 2009/10 output last week to 11 million tonnes, from an earlier estimate of 12 million tonnes, citing a severe drought in major producing regions and shrinking acreage as the reasons. The forecast indicates a decline of 12% from 2008/09.