3:54:09 PM | 11/11/2008
The government of Vietnam has said that sugar output of 2008-2009 crop is expected to reach 1.28 million tons, adequate to meet the country's demand for 2009, Vietnam News Agency said.
Now, Vietnam has 290,000 hectares of sugarcane, 16,600 hectares less than the last crop, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, adding with an estimated yield of 57 tons/ha, the sugarcane output will be more than 16.5 million tons.
The Kien Giang and Tri An sugar refineries will resume operations, increasing the total number of sugar plants to 40 with daily processing capacity to 105,750 tons of sugarcane, the agency said.
The International Sugar Organization has forecast that globally sugar yield will be slightly lower than last season while consumption is rising. Prices will remain unchanged, it said. In London, sugar price fluctuated between US$321 and US$412 per ton, up from US$303-US$352 last year.
In Vietnam, sugar price has risen VND400-VND3,000 per kilo from VND7,500-VND11,000 last year, but VND2,000 higher than in other countries, a gap for smugglers. (VNA)
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