Russia: Sugar Annual
FAS/Moscow forecasts Russia’s sugar beet production in 2015 at 38 million metric tons (MMT), a 13 percent increase from last year, which was the lowest crop since 2011. The area planted to sugar beets is forecast to increase from 919,000 hectares in 2014 to 960,000 hectares. Yields for sugar beets are also expected to increase. FAS/Moscow forecasts that 37 MMT of the projected 38 MMT crop in MY 2015/16 will be processed. The sugar production in MY 2015/16 will be 4.5 MMT, compared with 4.35 MMT in MY 2014/15. This production will meet approximately 78 percent of domestic consumption. Domestic consumption of raw sugar is forecast to increase to 5.8 MMT compared with the current year estimate of 5.7 MMT. FAS/Moscow forecasts imports of sugar, in raw equivalent, at 1.35 MMT in MY 2015/16. This will include 0.9 MMT of raw cane sugar and 0.45 MMT of refined sugar (in raw equivalent).
