The role of Brazil in the world sugar market

Within the last 25 year Brazil has become by far the largest sugar and alcohol producer in the world. For the current campaign (2002/03) the estimated production figures are: 316.3 mn t of sugarcane, 21.24 mn t of sugar, 6.95 bn liters of anhydrous ethanol, and 5.27 bn liters of hydrated ethanol, making up for a total 44.40 mn t of sucrose, or 42.39 mn t of sugar equivalent. The liberalization of the sugar and alcohol markets in the 1990s has led Brazil to become the largest sugar exporter in the world. The possibilities of further expansion of the sugar and alcohol section are described. The area under cane amounts to less than 10% of the total cultivated area.