Australia Sugar Output At Record High

Australian raw sugar production for the 1996 season reached a record estimated 5.44 million tonnes 94 net titre, passing the 1994 season record of 5.08 million tonnes, the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) said on Thursday.

Latest year production was up from 4.99 million tonnes 94 net titre in 1995, it said in its 1996 annual report.

Production rose to an estimated 5.27 tonnes actual in 1996 from 4.84 million tonnes in 1995, it said.

Australias sugar cane crush reached a record 39.94 million tonnes for the 1996 season, up from 37.37 million tonnes the year before, final figures in the report show. Australias harvested area in 1996 rose to 401,377 hectares from 382,406 ha the year before.

Yield in the main producing state of Queensland averaged 97.7 tonnes of cane per hectare, while in New South Wales (NSW) it reached an outstanding 129 tonnes per ha, the highest in 30 years, the ASMC said.

Including both Queensland and NSW, 13.63 tonnes of sugar per harvested ha was produced, the second highest on record. Australias commercial cane sugar (CCS) content averaged 13.51 per cent for 1996, higher than 1995 but below the five-year average, the report shows.

The production outlook for the 1997 season across most sugar producing districts was positive, Australian Sugar Milling Council said in the report, prepared before cyclone

Justin recently flattened parts of Australias current sugarcane crop.

Australias Canegrowers organisation has estimated that at least 20 per cent of the previously-expected 38-40 million tonne sugarcane crop was seriously hit by Justin.

There was increasing concern at the downward trend in world sugar prices and poor returns in prospect from new capital investment, Australian Sugar Milling Council said in its annual report.

New crop shipments from Brazil, Cuba, the European Union and Thailand were expected to prevent world sugar prices from moving sharply higher, the Australian Sugar Milling Council said in the report.