EU sugar production forecast to increase 6% by 2024/25

The European Commission forecast Tuesday that sugar production in Europe will increase to 16.6 million tons in 2024/25, from 15.6 millions in 2023/24.

After farmers planted more beet sugar this year, it was expected that the production of sugar would increase in 2024/25. In the bloc, beet harvesting is underway.

Early estimates by the EU executive indicate that Germany will be the leading producer in 2020/21, with 4,58 million tons. This is an increase of 6.5% over last season. Meanwhile, production in France would grow 2.8% to reach 4,49 million tons.

The Commission predicted that EU sugar exports in 2024/25 would increase to 4.3 million tonnes, from 4.0 millions last season. Imports, however, would drop from 2.2million tons to 2.1million tons.

In 2023/24, the EU's sugar stocks would rise from 1.7 million to 1.9 millions tons at the season end on 30 September.

The Commission predicted that the production of isoglucose made from grains would remain at 0.5 millions tons, unchanged from the previous year. (Reporting and editing by Gus Trompiz; Louise Heavens, David Evans, and Sybille De La Hamaide)

(source: Reuters)