EU-28: Sugar Annual
The EU started the post-quota era with an all-time record sugar production of 22.8 million MT for MY 2017/2018, of which 21.1 million MT is for processing into sugar and 1.7 million MT is for industrial use. The acreage for the MY 2018/19 sugar beet crop is forecast to remain the same as last year’s crop. The MY 2017/18 record crop is expected to make the EU the third largest global sugar exporter again, while MY 2017/18 sugar imports are likely to be halved to 1.4 million MT compared to MY 2016/17. EU sugar consumption is expected to slightly increase from competitive exports of sugar containing foods and despite a decreasing domestic consumption. The EU sugar ending stock level was significantly increased as a result of large unsold industrial sugar stocks at the end of the sugar quota system.