Domestic market
Growing areas of sugarcane in Thailand
Thailand has a suitable climate for
cane cultivation. Sugar cane cultivation, and thus processing,
is seasonal. The season lasts about 5 months per year, and the
rest of the year the mills closed for maintenance. Sugar can
be kept for the market throughout the whole year.
The industry's recent success can be attributed to several key
factors, including attractive sugarcane prices, favorable weather,
sugar factory relocation and capacity expansion policies which
have successfully encouraged the extension of sugarcane areas.
According to the Office of Agricultural Economics, agricultural
production increased about 1.9 percent in 2000. The primary
factors responsible were the weather, the global recession and
the relatively lower increase in the agricultural price index
than in the consumer price index. The weaker baht resulted in
increased export prices, an incentive to increase agricultural
production.
Table Thai sugar cane planted areas, production and yield
per rai compared with world sugar cane production from 1998
to 2001
| country |
Planted area
(1,000 rai)
|
Production
(1,000 tons)
|
Yield per
rai (kg)
|
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
| Thailand |
5,735
|
5,645
|
5,421
|
50,332
|
53,494
|
49,070
|
8,776
|
9,058
|
9,052
|
| World |
121,488
|
122,140
|
121,086
|
1,252,266
|
1,275,885
|
1,278,093
|
10,308
|
10,446
|
10,555
|
| Difference (%) |
4.72
|
4.62
|
4.47
|
4.09
|
4.19
|
3.838
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Remark * 1 rai = 0.16 Ha
Source: Thailand, Office of Agricultural Economics, Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation
Thai sugar cane production represented about 3.8 percent of
world sugar cane production in 2000. However, Thailand ranked
fifth among world producers, after Brazil, India, China and
Mexico.
Sugar cane planted areas in 2000 decreased by about 485,000
and 314,00 rai, from 5.6 and 5.7 billion rai in 1999 and 1998,
respectively. Thai sugar cane production in 2000 stood at 49
billion tons, a decrease of 8.2 percent from 53.4 billion tons
in 1999, and a decrease of 2.5 percent from 50.3 billion tons
in 1998. The decreases resulted from a decrease in production
areas.
Yield per rai of sugar cane in 2000 increased to 9,052 kilograms
per rai, from 8,776 kilograms per rai in 1998, because of favorable
weather.
Table Sugar cane: Area, production and yield by regions
of Thailand, 1998 - 2000
| Region |
Planted area
(1000 rai)
|
Production
(1,000 tons)
|
Yield per
rai (kg)
|
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
| Northern |
1,322
|
1,288
|
1,181
|
11,391
|
12,097
|
10,392
|
8,616
|
9,393
|
8,797
|
| North-Eastern |
2,068
|
2,064
|
1,994
|
18,8596
|
20,342
|
18,153
|
9,118
|
9,853
|
9,102
|
| Central Plain |
2,344
|
2,292
|
2,245
|
20,081
|
21,054
|
20,525
|
8,5665
|
9,186
|
9,141
|
| Whole of Thailand |
5,735
|
5,645
|
5,421
|
50,332
|
53,494
|
49,070
|
8,777
|
9,477
|
9,052
|
Source: Thailand, Office of Agricultural Economics, Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation
The central region has the greatest area of planted sugar cane,
representing about 41 percent of the national total, followed
by the northeastern and northern parts of Thailand.
According to the Thai Sugar Cane and Sugar Committee Institute,
sugar cane planted areas increased to 5.8 million rai in 2001,
and are estimated to increase to 6.04 million rai in 2002. Sugar
cane production is forecast to increase to 52.1 billion tons
in 2002, due to an increase in planted areas in the northeast,
lower north, and central plains; greater rainfall in the north
and northeast, along with good distribution of rainfall throughout
the season; few problems with disease; and changing to new,
improved varieties of cane. In addition, a long period of cool
weather during the maturity stage supports a favorable sucrose
content.
In 2002, the average sugar cane yield is estimated to hit a
record 10 tons per rai, compared with 8.46 tons per rai in 2001.
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