USDA Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) forcasts sugarbeet acreage intentions for crop year 2009/10 at 1.152 million acres, about 5.7 percent higher than area planted in crop year 2008/09. Assuming normal sucrose levels, normal area harvested-to-planted ratios, and continued improvement in productivity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects national beet sugar production in crop year 2009/10 at 4.610 million short tons, raw value (STRV).