Sugar, Stevia etc.

[behappyalways]

India Imposes 20% Sugar Export Duty to Keep Local Price in Check
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... e-in-check

[behappyalways]

Sugar Costs Most Since 2012 as Brazil Rain Makes Shortage Worse
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... tage-worse

[winston]

How Big Sugar Enlisted Harvard Scientists to Influence How We Eat—in 1965

by Deena Shanker

Source: Bloomberg

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-sugar ... 12555.html

[winston]

Double whammy for F&B companies

BY P. ARUNA

The price of raw sugar has spiked by over 50% since February 2016, and resumed its uptrend in December 2016 to trade at about 20.6 US cents per lb at the end of January 2017 - which is 13.2% higher than the average sugar price of 18.2 US cents per lb last year.

A report by Alliance DBS Research states that raw sugar prices will remain elevated due to the global supply deficit which is estimated to hit five million tonnes this year due to drought affecting sugar production in India, Thailand and Brazil.

Source: The Star

http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busi ... companies/

[winston]

Six things that may spoil global sugar surplus

They include the return of El Nino and the policies of Trump

While most analysts forecast supplies will exceed demand in the 2017-2018 season that starts in October for most countries, stockpiles will remain at historically low levels, “affording little latitude for under-performance in the major sugar producing countries”

With more than eight months to go, a lot could still go wrong to wipe out the 1 million to 3 million tonne surplus range

From the return of El Nino to the continuation of Indian imports and even the policies of US President Donald Trump

1. “The models are suggesting that El Nino may resurface in the second half of 2017”

2. Bears are counting on the rebound of production in Asia. But the scale of the recovery in India is still uncertain

3. Traders attending the conference fear that Mexico may end up with a lot more sugar than expected. That’s because President Trump is seeking a review of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which allows Mexican sugar to flow into the US.

4. Traders are counting on a rebound in European Union production as a system of quotas end on Sept 30. Kingsman sees output rising 14% to 19.3 million tonnes.

5. China already surprised traders last year, bringing in 3.7 million tonne of white sugar, he said.

6. In Brazil, the currency in the world’s largest producer is getting stronger, potentially reducing the incentive for millers to sell, and raising the price level at which they favour ethanol over sugar production.

The real gained 22% last year, the most since 2009, and has advanced another 4.4% this year.

Source: The Star

http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busi ... r-surplus/

[winston]

Mexico cancels sugar export permits to U.S. in trade dispute

By Adriana Barrera

Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States in a dispute over the pace of shipments, according to a letter seen by Reuters, in a flare-up industry sources said could temporarily disrupt supplies.

The cancellations marked the latest dispute of a years-long trade row between Mexico - the U.S.' top foreign supplier of sugar - and the United States at a time when cane refiners are struggling with prices and tight supplies, U.S. industry sources said.

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-m ... r%20Update

[winston]

These Stevia Stocks Have Enormous Potential

By David Goodboy

What Is Stevia?

Stevia is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. These plants are native to Paraguay and Brazil.

It is not only used as a sweetener, but as a treatment for burns, stomach issues, and even as a contraceptive.

Stevia can be more than 300 times sweeter than sugar, and has been used for centuries as a way to sweeten food.

Pepsi (NYSE: PEP), stopped using aspartame in its diet drinks due to the public outcry, despite a lack of proof of aspartame’s negative health effects.

Stevia, being a natural product, fits perfectly with the changing consumer culture.

Soft drink behemoth Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) joined with Cargill to brand a stevia-based sweetener known as Truvia.

Truvia was the first stevia-derived sweetening agent and is used in over 45 Coca-Cola products, including Honest Tea and Vitamin Water Zero. C

Pepsi also jumped on the Stevia bandwagon, partnering with Merisant to create PureVia as its stevia-derived product.

Stevia could replace up to 30% of a drink’s sugar level before consumer complaints arise.

Cargill’s Stevia brand, ViaTech, can replace up to 70% of sugar, and the pending EverSweet, a creation of Cargill’s partnership with Swiss company Evolva (OTC: ELVAF), may be capable of replacing all soft drink sugar.

3 Ways To Profit From Stevia Stock

1. Evolva Holdings (OTC: ELVAF)
2. PureCircle (OTC: PCRTF)
3. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO)

Source: Street Authority

http://dailytradealert.com/2017/04/01/t ... potential/

[winston]

not vested

Sugar (#11); Lower - US$16.37 from US$16.68 from US$16.73
a. 5m tonnes deficit
b. Droughts in Thailand, Brazil and India

[winston]

Sugar price rise may be curbed as market turns into surplus

SAO PAULO: Global sugar production should jump by 13 million tonnes in the 2017/18 crop year as the European Union, India and Thailand increase their outputs, independent consultancy F.O. Licht forecast on Tuesday.

World sugar output is expected to reach 190.3 million tonnes compared to 176.9 million tonnes in 2016/17, causing the global sugar market balance to turn into a surplus of 2.8 million tonnes after two years of deficits, F.O. Licht projected.

The global sugar supply deficits of the last two years elevated prices for the sweetener to the highest in 5 years at above 23 cents per pound later last year.

Values have been falling since as the market already priced in a likely rebound in production. Raw sugar futures were trading close to 16.2 cents per pound in New York on Tuesday.

F.O. Licht’s chief analyst Stefan Uhlenbrock said he does not expect prices to crash due to the jump in global sugar output, because stocks are still at a low level following the years of deficits.

“But the potential for sugar prices to increase have diminished,” he said during a presentation at an international sugar and ethanol conference in Sao Paulo.

Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, is not adding much to the global surplus. Uhlenbrock said the country’s top cane belt will produce only 300,000 tonnes more sugar in 2017/18 than in the previous season, as mills’ investments in the fields remain timid.

Brazil’s centre-south should produce 35.9 million tonnes in the new crop versus 35.6 million tonnes in 2016/17.

Large increases are expected from India and the European Union, F.O. Licht said.

India is expected to produce 24.4 million tonnes from 20.3 million tonnes in the previous crop as the country recovers from a drought last year, while the EU’s output is seen at 18.4 million tonnes in 2017/18, almost 3 million tonnes more than in 2016/17.

Uhlenbrock said the end of European sugar quotas is behind the large production increase.

Source: Reuters

http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busi ... 6MKdscm.99

[winston]

China doubles tax on a third of sugar imports

Oversupply overseas and currency depreciations of major exporting countries makes domestic China sugar 50pc more expensive than imported

The new regime, designed to narrow the gap between sugar prices at home and abroad, could take a heavy toll on overseas growers, particularly Brazil and Thailand, which have fuelled an exponential growth in China’s sugar imports over the last six years.

Source: SCMP

http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/ ... ar-imports