CHINA: Drought reduces sugar production in Yunnan by 30%
Published: 03/17/2010, 7:50:17 AM
A severe drought in China's Yunnan province is likely to result in a reduction of sugar cane output by nearly 30% from last season, according to Dow Jones.
More than 60% of the sugar cane in Yunnan province has been affected by the drought, and cane output is likely to fall by 4.5 million metric tonnes, ynsugar.com said, citing a news release by the Department of Commerce of Yunnan province.
Yunnan is China's second-largest sugar-producing region. Yunnan Sugar Association Chairman Deng Yi said in an industry conference at the beginning of this month that the province is likely to produce 1.7 million tonnes of sugar for the year starting Oct. 1, down 24% from last season.
Some sugar firms have estimated output for 2009/10 at 1.6 million-1.65 million tonnes, the Web site said.