A global sugar deficit of 6.7 million tonnes is seen developing in 2019/20, following a 401,000-tonne surplus in the previous season, Luca Meierhofer, head of global cash trading at Louis Dreyfus Company, said in a presentation on Wednesday.
Production in historic top-producer Brazil is seen rising only slightly in the season to 26.7 million tonnes, from 26.5 million tonnes in 2018/19, Meierhofer said at an event at New York Sugar Week. The sugar mix is also seen increasing only slightly, to 35.3% from 35.2% in the previous year as Brazil's demand for ethanol remains robust.