Sugar
Overview
Sugar is a common ingredient in food products and beverages, as well as biofuels. It is made mainly from sugar beets or sugar cane grown in tropical regions. Sugar cane accounts for most of the global sugar production with Brazil, India and China being the top producing countries. An estimated 100 million people are involved in sugar cane production globally (Voora et al. 2023).
Global sugar cane supply chains are complex with various stages of production. This includes small-scale farmers, sugar mills, processors, manufacturers, retailers and end-consumers. Small-scale farmers produce roughly 40 % of the world’s sugar cane and are mostly engaged with cultivating and harvesting stages of sugar cane production (ILO 2017; Voora et al. 2023).
Despite sugar’s increasing demand, sugar cane producers often face low market prices and limited negotiation power within sugar value chains coupled with the increasing effects of climate change. Fairtrade works with sugar cane producers in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.
Background data on sugar (*Global Volume / **Fairtrade Volume)
Largest producer countries*
- Brazil (44%)
- India (27%)
- China (6%)
- Thailand (6%)
- Pakistan (5%)
- Others (12%)
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Fairtrade certified producer organisations**
Data from 2022. Updated in March 2024.
Fairtrade certifiable production**
metric tonnes, 2022. Updated in March 2024.
Farmers in Fairtrade organisations**
Data from 2022. Updated in March 2024.
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