At the same time sugar cane production ends in Hawaii, the USDA forecasts a record harvest next year of sugar beets, grown in the upper Midwest and the West and the dominant U.S. source of sugar, reported Reuters. “The estimate indicates that beet farmers are remaining resolute even as food manufacturers shun GMO crops like their beet sugar.”
“The scenario has strained the U.S. sugar program, a complicated network of marketing allotments, import quota and price supports. Cane refiners are pressing USDA to up raw sugar imports to meet the demand, while beet companies argue their inventories are swelling,” said Reuters. Sugar analyst Frank Jenkins told the news agency, “Beet farmers are not going to cede their market share.”
In its monthly WASDE report, the USDA estimated sugar beet production at 5.09 million short tons next year, up 2 percent from this year, while cane sugar output falls 5 percent. Sugar cane is grown in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii. Sugar beets are grown in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.