According to Dow Jones Newswires, the Mexican sugar harvest, as of Jan. 20, was down over 25 percent compared to a year ago. The harvest produced 774,627 metric tons of raw, semi-refined sugar.
Some in the industry say the sugar-worker strike that lasted over three weeks late last year has affected harvest operation. The strike officially ended Dec. 8 but its effect stretched into harvest operations by delaying vital maintenance in sugar mills.
Prior to the strike, the National Sugar and Alcohol Chamber had forecasted the harvest to produce 4.8 million tons, up from the prior year, which closed at just under 4.7 million tons.