Honduran Sugar Industry Achieves Record Output While Consumption and Exports Expand

摘要

The privately owned Honduran sugar industry is forecast to achieve record production expected in 2009/10 of 408,000 metric tons of raw sugar, up marginally from 2008/09 reflecting an increase in harvested area and yields (Figure 1). The industry has expanded fairly steadily over the past 15 years with the only major setback coming in 1998/99 due to the impact of Hurricane Mitch on field and factory yields. Currently Honduras has 51,000 hectares of sugarcane producing 3.95 million tons of cane for milling. Area in sugarcane has grown by about one-third over the past decade. About one-half of the sugarcane area is owned by private growers and the other half by sugar milling companies. Of the independent producers 55% are small growers (1 to 18 hectares), 22% are medium producers (18 to 53 hectares) and 23% are large growers with more than 53 hectares.