Sugar cane output of world's second-largest exporter Thailand falls sharply due to drought

Thailand's sugar cane output declined in the 2023-24 crop because of severe drought, according to the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB).

The drop in production may affect sugar supply in the global market as Thailand is the world's second-largest sugar exporter after Brazil.

Verasak Kwanmuang, a representative of the farmers' association in the OCSB, said that Thailand’s sugar cane harvests in the 2023-2024 crop fell to 82.2 million tonnes, a drop of 11.7 million tonnes compared to the production of the previous crop.

Verasak said that drought caused a water shortage, which dealt a blow to sugar cane plantation in Thailand.

According to the OCSB, in the 2023-24 crop, farmers delivered a total of 82.2 million tonnes of sugar cane for crushing at sugar factories, with 70% fresh sugar cane and the remainder burned cane.

Some 57 sugar mills produced 8.77 million tonnes of sugar and 3.55 tonnes of molasses in the 2023-24 crop.

The amount of sugar tallied 107kg per tonne of sugar cane, with a commercial cane sugar sweetness level of 12.35.

The OCSB said global sugar prices have decreased to 19 US cents per pound, down from 25 US cents per pound, following higher cane supplies from Brazil and India when the global economy was sluggish, decreasing sugar demand.

It forecasts that sugar cane production for the 2024-25 crop will increase as farmers are likely to switch from cassava to sugar cane cultivation because of higher prices