Sweet sorrow: Thailand’s sugarcane harvest takes a hit

A significant reduction in Thailand’s sugarcane yield in the 2023–24 crop year has been reported by the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB). This decrease in production is attributed to severe drought conditions and is expected to have an impact on the worldwide sugar supply.

Thailand is the second-largest exporter of sugar globally, following Brazil. Therefore, any decrease in its production could cause strain on the global market.

A representative of the farmers on the board, Verasak Kwanmuang, revealed that sugarcane harvests had decreased by 11.7 million tonnes from the previous crop year, with an output of 93.9 million tonnes. The total amount of cane delivered by farmers to sugar factories for crushing in the 2023–24 crop year was 82.2 million tonnes. Of this, 70% was comprised of fresh sugar cane, and the remaining 30% was burned cane.

Verasak explained that