March 8, 2016
Sugaronline | http://goo.gl/otQstw
European Union sugar production is expected to rebound in 2016/17 from the previous season's low level, the European Commission said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
EU white sugar production declined to 15 million tonnes in 2015/16, down sharply from the record 19.5 million tonnes the previous year, the Commission said, adding that sowings for the 2016/17 crop were at an early stage.
"At this point, based on average yields and limited information on areas, EU white sugar production could reach 17.6 million tonnes in 2016/17," it said in its crop report.
The report said that the EU sugar beet area is forecast to increase by 6.5% to 1.58 million hectares and yields by 8.9% to 72.8 tonnes per hectare.
EU sugar beet production was projected to rise by 16% to 114.7 million tonnes.
The report put white sugar stocks at the end of the 2015/16 season at 1.4 million tonnes, down 65.3% from a year earlier after the sharp decline in production.
A modest rise to 1.8 million tonnes was forecast for the end of the 2016/17 season.