Sugar Prices Rise after El Nino Damages Crops
2023-11-27
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1The sudden and large increase in sugar prices left Ishaq Abdulraheem with few choices.
2Raising the cost of bread would mean decreasing sales, so the Nigerian baker decided to cut his production by half.
3For other struggling bakers in the West African nation, it was the latest of many problems they have faced. Many bakers just closed their shops.
4Sugar is needed to make bread, the daily food for Nigeria's 210 million people.
5For many, bread offers a less costly source of calories, or energy.
6Rising sugar prices - an increase of 55 percent in two months - means fewer bakers and less bread.
7"It is a very serious situation," Abdulraheem said.
8Sugar is trading at the highest prices since 2011, mainly due to lower supplies around the world.
9The increase followed the unusually dry weather that damaged harvests in India and Thailand, the world's second- and third-largest exporters.
10This is just the latest problem for developing nations already dealing with shortages of rice and bans on some food trade.
11Others include the effects of the weather system El Nino and the war in Ukraine.
12And, increasingly, sugar is being used for biofuels, so worldwide reserves of sugar are at their lowest since 2009.
13Brazil is the biggest sugar exporter, but its harvest will only help supply later in 2024.
14Until then, sugar-importing countries - like most of those in sub-Saharan Africa - remain at risk.
15Abba Usman is a trader in the Nigeria capital of Abuja.
16He said a 50-kilogram bag of sugar that cost $66 a week ago now costs $81.
17As prices rise, his customers are decreasing.
18"The price keeps increasing every day, and we don't know why," Usman said.
19It is partly due to El Nino, a natural event that shifts the weather around the world and can cause extreme weather conditions like drought or flooding.
20Scientists believe climate change is making El Nino stronger.
21India experienced its driest August in over a century.
22Crops in the western state of Maharashtra, which accounts for over a third of its sugarcane production, did not grow properly.
23The Indian Sugar Mills Association said India's sugar production is likely to decrease by 8 percent this year.
24The world's most populated nation is also the biggest user of sugar and is now restricting sugar exports.
25El Nino affected both the amount and quality of the harvest in Thailand, said Naradhip Anantasuk, leader of the Thailand Sugar Planters Association.
26He expects only 76 million metric tons of sugarcane in the 2024 harvest season, compared with 93 million metric tons this year.
27Looking ahead, Kelly Goughary, a senior researcher at Gro Intelligence, said Brazil's harvest is predicted to be 20 percent bigger than last year.
28But since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere, the increase in supply will not come until March.
29Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that the world now has less than 68 days of sugar in reserves to meet its needs.
30Some countries, including Indonesia and Kenya, have cut back their sugar imports.
31China was forced to release sugar from its reserves for the first time in six years to offset high prices.
32Back in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, the struggle of bakers is an example of the effects of rising food, fuel costs and the large impact of high sugar prices.
33Bread is often the only food poor families have enough money to buy.
34When bakers raise bread prices, as they did by 15 percent earlier this year, some people go hungry.
35Not passing along higher costs is not possible, said Mansur Umar, president of the Nigerian Bakers' Association.
36"There is no way you can buy high and you sell low," he said.
37I'm Gena Bennett.
1The sudden and large increase in sugar prices left Ishaq Abdulraheem with few choices. Raising the cost of bread would mean decreasing sales, so the Nigerian baker decided to cut his production by half. 2For other struggling bakers in the West African nation, it was the latest of many problems they have faced. Many bakers just closed their shops. 3Sugar is needed to make bread, the daily food for Nigeria's 210 million people. For many, bread offers a less costly source of calories, or energy. Rising sugar prices - an increase of 55 percent in two months - means fewer bakers and less bread. 4"It is a very serious situation," Abdulraheem said. 5Increases worldwide 6Sugar is trading at the highest prices since 2011, mainly due to lower supplies around the world. 7The increase followed the unusually dry weather that damaged harvests in India and Thailand, the world's second- and third-largest exporters. 8This is just the latest problem for developing nations already dealing with shortages of rice and bans on some food trade. Others include the effects of the weather system El Nino and the war in Ukraine. And, increasingly, sugar is being used for biofuels, so worldwide reserves of sugar are at their lowest since 2009. 9Brazil is the biggest sugar exporter, but its harvest will only help supply later in 2024. Until then, sugar-importing countries - like most of those in sub-Saharan Africa - remain at risk. 10Abba Usman is a trader in the Nigeria capital of Abuja. He said a 50-kilogram bag of sugar that cost $66 a week ago now costs $81. As prices rise, his customers are decreasing. 11"The price keeps increasing every day, and we don't know why," Usman said. 12El Nino 13It is partly due to El Nino, a natural event that shifts the weather around the world and can cause extreme weather conditions like drought or flooding. Scientists believe climate change is making El Nino stronger. 14India experienced its driest August in over a century. Crops in the western state of Maharashtra, which accounts for over a third of its sugarcane production, did not grow properly. 15The Indian Sugar Mills Association said India's sugar production is likely to decrease by 8 percent this year. The world's most populated nation is also the biggest user of sugar and is now restricting sugar exports. 16El Nino affected both the amount and quality of the harvest in Thailand, said Naradhip Anantasuk, leader of the Thailand Sugar Planters Association. He expects only 76 million metric tons of sugarcane in the 2024 harvest season, compared with 93 million metric tons this year. 17Looking ahead, Kelly Goughary, a senior researcher at Gro Intelligence, said Brazil's harvest is predicted to be 20 percent bigger than last year. But since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere, the increase in supply will not come until March. 18Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that the world now has less than 68 days of sugar in reserves to meet its needs. 19Some countries, including Indonesia and Kenya, have cut back their sugar imports. China was forced to release sugar from its reserves for the first time in six years to offset high prices. 20Back in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, the struggle of bakers is an example of the effects of rising food, fuel costs and the large impact of high sugar prices. 21Bread is often the only food poor families have enough money to buy. When bakers raise bread prices, as they did by 15 percent earlier this year, some people go hungry. 22Not passing along higher costs is not possible, said Mansur Umar, president of the Nigerian Bakers' Association. 23"There is no way you can buy high and you sell low," he said. 24I'm Gena Bennett. 25Aniruddha Ghosal and Chinedu Asadu reported this story for the Associated Press. Gena Bennett adapted it for VOA Learning English. 26_________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28baker-n. a person who makes bread for a living 29reserves-n. something that is being saved for the future 30drought-n. a long period of time without enough water 31sugarcane-n. a tall grass used for sugar production