South African sugar production is expected to recover to normal levels during the 2007-08 season after falling to a ten-year low in the previous season, an industry official said on Friday.
Trix Trikam, executive director of the South African Sugar Association, said good rains being experienced in the country's main sugar growing region, the south eastern province of Kwazulu-Natal, would lift production in the current season. "January to March will be the crucial period, but we should have our average crop again of about 2.5 million tonnes, if the weather stays as good as it is," he told Reuters on the sidelines at an industry presentation. Sugar production fell to its lowest level in 10 years during the 2006-07 period, with production of 2.23 million tonnes.
Trikam said poor weather conditions had led to the drop in production. South Africa is the world's tenth largest sugar producer and eighth largest exporter, with average direct income of 6 billion rand ($885.2 million) from sugar production.
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