South Asian Countries in the Global Sugar Market: A Critical Assessment

Sugar is an important commodity of South Asia, a region with diverse production systems and consumption patterns. With an increasing population leading to an increase in demand, the main drivers which determine the sugar production in the major sugar-producing countries of the region need to be identified. The study attempts to identify and assess the key drivers of sugar production and the future prospects in the major sugar-producing countries in the region. In most of the countries, sugar production was found to be determined by the indicators such as productionofsugarcane, sugarconsumption, and Countrypopulation, each accounting for about 90 % of variation in sugar production. Among the above indicators, Countrypopulation should be given the most weight as majority of sugar is consumed by humans, validating the need to address the necessity to enhance sugar production that commensurate with an increasing population.