<The sugar industry.
History
The word sugar is Sanskrit in origin and means materials in a granular
form. Sugar production began approximately 12,000 year ago. By
8,000-6,000BC sugar production from sugar can started in China and the
Middle East. Sugar reached Europe around 700AD. Sugar was rare and
expensive. In the sixteenth a teaspoon of sugar cost the equivalent of
$5 today. http://mimi.essortment.com/historyofsugar_rzow.htm
In 1493 Columbus took sugar cane to the Caribbean Island of Santa
Domingo for trial plantings. Plantations were established in Brazil,
Cuba, Mexico and the West Indies. Initially the local population were
employed to grow the crops. As the industry grew salves were brought
from Africa. Slavery was abolished in the 1800?s.
In 1747, Andreas Marggraf, a German chemist extracted sugar from beet.
During the Napoleonic wars (1793-1815) French ports were blockaded
preventing the importation of sugar into the UK. As an alternative
beet was grown to produce sugar. By 1880 beet became the main source
of sugar in Europe.
http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/bsweb/educate/history.htm
A short history of sugar from the Sugar Association.
http://www.sugar.org/newsroom/mfs.html#history
Cane sugar from the ancient world to the Elizabethan period.
http://www.maggierose.20megsfree.com/sugar.html
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Types of sugar
The sugar association provides descriptions of the different types of sugar.
http://www.sugar.org/facts/types.html
http://www.sugar.ca/sugTypesPrt.htm
This site has photographs and descriptions of the main types of sugar.
http://www.fermacol.com/Pfeifer_about_sugar.htm
Grades of sugar.
http://www.indiainfoline.com/sect/suin/ch05.html
--------------------------------------------------
Production
Sugar is produced in over 120 countries.
In 1999/2000 over 130 million tons were produced. In 2001/2002
production was 134.7 million tons. In 2002/2003 production was 140.7
million tons.
It is produced from two plants ? sugar cane and sugar beet. Over 70%
comes from sugar cane, a tall grass with big stems which is mostly
grown in tropical areas. Sugar beet is a biennial root crop resembling
a large parsnip and is grown in temperate climates. This site also
explains the chemistry of sugar.
http://www.kursus.kvl.dk/shares/bds/600_assignment/500_reports/Group6-2003-The%20Common%20Agricultural%20policy.doc
This site features an interactive map of the world showing the sugar
producing areas, the type of sugar grown and the production levels of
each country.
http://www.sucrose.com/learn.html
Centrifugal sugar ? world production, supply and distribution.
This site gives a country by country breakdown detailing production,
imports, exports and stocks.
http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/sugar/2003/may%202003%20PSD.pdf
World production and consumption.
This site features a table giving production and consumption for
different regions of the world.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y8243e/y8243e13.htm
Consumption
According to USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intake of Individuals,
Americans consume about 64 pounds of sugars (all caloric sugars) per
year. About 29 pounds is in the form of sucrose.
http://www.sugar.org/newsroom/mfs.html#consumed
----------------------------------------------------
The refining process
A summary of the refining process of sugar beet:
The beets are washed and sliced into thin strips called cossettes. The
beets go into a diffuser where hot water washes over them and absorbs
the sugar. The sugar-laden water is separated from the remaining pulp.
Beet pulp is a by-product which is used to make animal feed.
The sugar rich water is mixed with milk of lime and carbon dioxide in
carbonation tanks. Calcium carbonate forms which attracts the
non-sugar particles, settling to the bottom of the tank.
The solution is then filtered to give a golden light brown juice which
is then boiled under vacuum to thicken. This filtration and boiling
process is repeated. Crystals begin to form this sugar crystal and
syrup mix is called massecuite.
The massecuite is centrifuged. White sugar crystal are produced. The
crystals are then dried and separated into the different sizes of
crystals. They are then packaged.
Further details can be found at this site from The Sugar Association.
http://www.sugar.org/facts/grow.html
Manufacturing of sugar from beet.
This site summarises the process with a diagram of the refining process.
http://www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/refined/manufacture.html
The cane sugar refining process.
This site gives a summary and a more detailed explanation of the
refining process of cane sugar. A by-product called refiners? molasses
is made during the process. This is used in the alcohol industry and
also in the cattle feed industry.
http://www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/refined/refiningcane.html
Refining Sugar ? From plant to food.
http://www.sugar.ca/clip1prt.htm
This site details the uses of the various sugar cane by-products including:
Cane tops ? cattle fodder.
Bagasse ? paper.
Pith ? furfural.
Bagasse ash ? chemical resistant glass.
Molasses ? industrial alcohol, cattle feed, edible syrup, solvents,
ethanol and fertiliser.
Distillery effluent ? methane and manure.
Filter cake ? manure.
Cane wax ? carbon paper, polish industry, coating fruits and waxed papers.
The utilisation of by-products can reduce the cost of sugar production
by approximately 20%
https://indiasugaronline.com/mis/lib_sugarmanfa.asp
---------------------------------------------------
Sugar industries around the world.
Brazil
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Brazil/braziliansugar.pdf
The European Union
http://www.ib.be/cefs/sugarindustry.htm
UK
http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/arable/sugar/sugar03.htm
US
http://www.sugar-reform.org/industry.htm
Australia
http://www.sugaraustralia.com.au/sugaraustralia/www.nsf/0/aceaacab3fab72c3ca256ae200124bd5?OpenDocument
Canada
http://www.sugar.ca/moreCSI.htm
-----------------------------------------------------
Sugar trade.
Sugar is traded on the world commodity markets. The price is based on
supply and demand. Currently the price is low due to large exports
from Brazil.
According to British Sugar, the world sugar price is a residual market
price at which surplus sugar is traded internationally. It does not
reflect costs of production, but is based on supply and demand and
trade deals in that residual market.
The world price is usually well below average production costs of even
the most efficient producers, and is highly volatile.
http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/bsweb/bsgroup/facts/fsheet4.htm
Raw sugar is traded through the New York Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa
exchange, where it is know as the No11 contract. It is traded in US
cents per lb. A graph on this site shows how the price has fluctuated.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_024054-15.hcsp
White sugar is traded in London at the London Futures Exchange.
http://www.sugartech.co.za/sugarprice/index.php3
------------------------------------------------------
Trends
According to the FAO production will keep pace with consumption until
2005. Developing countries are projected to account for virually all
global increases in sugar production. Their share of world production
will increase from 63 percent in 93/95 to approximately 70 percent by
2005.
Virtually no net increase in production is expected to come from
developed countries. Increased production is expected to come from
Brazil which is projected to produce 11 million tonnes by 2005 and
Thailand with an increase of 5.5 million tonnes by 2005. However
prices are forecast to remain the same.
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:YdnE_PgEE-8J:www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EE27Ae01.html+%22world+sugar+prices%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
----------------------------------------------------
Opportunities and challenges
This article discusses the effect of global trade liberalisation. With
freer global trading it predicts a rise of sugar price by 90 percent
in the short term and 41 percent by 2005. For this to happen there
would need to be reforms of sugar policies in the United States,
European Union and Japan.
http://www.cairnsgroupfarmers.org/ni/reportspapers/sugarprices.htm
A report from the Hindu Business Line reports that the long term
prospects for sugar prices are not good unless global policy reforms
are agreed. Brazil has continued expanding production and exports
since 1990 from 1.3 million tonnes to 14.2 million tonnes in 2003.
This has resulted in downward pressure on prices.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/09/06/stories/2003090600981100.htm
This report from Kasikorn Research highlights the problem of low sugar
prices for the sugar industry in Thailand. Thailand exports 60 percent
of its sugar. The government will need to lend Baht 10 billion to
shore up sugar can prices but may face problems acquiring a loan due
to high levels of debt.
http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:F9IcVH02_AMJ:www.krc.co.th/tfrc/cgi/ticket/ticket.exe/0390424670/tfrc/eng/brief/bri03/nov/bman373a.htm+%22world+sugar+prices%22+2004&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Sugar and the World Trade Organisation - Major sugar trade issues.
http://cnas.tamu.edu/publications/1SugarWTO.pdf
The EU Sugar Regime by Richard North (23 January 2001) discusses the
issues involving the sugar industry in European Union.
http://www.independence.org.uk/html/body_eu_sugar.html
US Mexico sugar dispute.
http://www.sugarpub.com/articles3_mar02.htm
Caribbean
http://www.scsonline.freeserve.co.uk/olv2p1.pdf
Fiji ? This article looks at the problems faced by the sugar industry in Fiji.
http://www.fiji.gov.fj/press/2002_09/2002_09_10-01.shtml
Will the US and Mexican sweetener sectors survive the farm and trade
policies of the 21st century.
http://www.promarinternational.com/Brochures/SweetenerSectors.pdf
A discussion paper on the impact of European sugar policies on poor countries.
http://www.sustainweb.org/agtrad_sugar.asp
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