Thailand, the world's second-biggest sugar exporter, is expected to produce at least 9.2 million tonnes of the sweetener in the current 2011/12 crop, a senior official at the Office of Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB) said on Tuesday. Some traders have said output in the new crop could be as high as 10 million tonnes.Output in 2010/11 was a record 9.6 million tonnes, well above the annual production of around 7 million seen in recent years.
That was attributable largely to the jump in sugar prices to a 29-year high last year, which encouraged farmers to switch to sugar from tapioca and corn.On top of that, ample rainfall last year helped boost sugar content in cane.