The world sugar market and Ukraine's place in it

The article analyzes the current situation in the world sugar market, in particular, an analysis of sugar production and consumption, sugar exports and imports, the price situation on world exchanges, both for beet sugar and for cane sugar. It is noted that Ukraine's influence on the world sugar market is not significant, since its share in global production barely exceeds 1%. It is established that the largest sugar producers in the world are Brazil, India, the EU, China and Thailand, whose share in global production reaches 60% every year. In some years, the top five may include other countries, in particular the USA and Pakistan, it is the first five that are decisive from the point of view of the world market. The author notes that the main world producers of cane sugar are Brazil and India, and the largest producers of both sugar beets and, accordingly, beet sugar are the countries of the European Union. China and the USA combine the cultivation of sugar beets and sugar cane and, accordingly, the production of sugar from them. It is argued that the preservation of sugar beet cultivation, despite cheaper cane, is a reflection of global trends in the confrontation between beet and cane sugar production and indicates the strategic importance of sugar beets in maintaining the balance of agricultural production. Among the main exporting countries, Brazil is highlighted, which has been the world leader in sugar exports for several decades in a row and traditionally exports 60-75% of sugar produced. Fluctuations in this indicator depend on the volume of domestic production and the situation on the world market. It is noted that on the world market over the past five years, world prices for white sugar and raw sugar have almost doubled. An increase in world prices for sugar is predicted, which is due to a decrease in the production of raw sugar and sugar in Brazil due to a prolonged drought and an increase in the use of sugar cane for ethanol production in this country. It was concluded that for the further development of the domestic sugar market it is necessary to intensify trade in sweet products, to search for its niche in the world sugar market, having the need for this and potential opportunities. At the state level, it is necessary to determine the place of Ukraine in world sugar production, export opportunities, competitiveness of domestic sugar products in the world market, in order to develop an export-import policy for this strategically important product for the country in the future. Key words: world sugar market, production, consumption, export, import, prices.