The global sugar balance is expected to register a surplus of 570,000 tons in the 2025/26 crop year (Oct/Sept), reversing the deficit scenario observed since the 2022/23 season, according to a new survey conducted by DATAGRO. This positive balance should be sustained by a consistent increase in supply, while demand growth should remain almost negligible, given the resurgence of consumption in the United States, Europe, and some Latin American countries. Sugar production in European Union countries reached 16.60 million tons in 2025/26, a volume similar to that produced in 2024/25, despite a reduction of almost 10% in beet planting in the region. Furthermore, Thailand also surprised in 2025/26, with mills managing to recover from the initial delay in operations, and India, whose 25/26 crop year is practically over, is expected to register almost 10% higher production, despite even more optimistic initial expectations. “In parallel, the Center-South region of Brazil is expected to produce slightly more than 40 million tons of sugar in 2026/27, after producing 40.43 million tons in 2025/26, due to the expectation of increased milling, from 611.15 to 642.20 million tons, despite a less sugar-focused mix,” points out DATAGRO. For the global 2026/27 sugar crop, DATAGRO’s preliminary estimate points to a deficit of 3.17 million tons. Among the reasons are a further decline in beet planting in the EU, a decrease in sugarcane area in Thailand, and lower investments in the maintenance of sugarcane fields in the Center-South of Brazil.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.