SUGAR: U.S. beet sugar production for 2017/18 is projected at 5.359 million short tons, raw value (STRV), up 409,256
from last month. Recovery of sucrose from sliced sugarbeets for the first three months of the August/July crop year from
Sweetener Market Data report provides the first empirically based estimate of full crop year recovery. That recovery is
projected at 15.4 percent in line with recent historical records. Crop year beet sugar production that includes sugar from
desugared molasses is projected at 5.530 million STRV. The fiscal year October/September projection includes
adjustments for August-September production that subtracts the estimate for 2017 and adds the historically based
projection for 2018. This also includes sugar produced from imported sugarbeets from Canada. Sugar imports for
2017/18 are reduced by 384,452 STRV, as less sugar projected from Mexico is only partially offset by an increase in
2016/17 raw sugar tariff-rate quota imports entering after September 30. Ending stocks for 2017/18 are projected at
1.802 million STRV, implying a stocks-to-use ratio of 14.3 percent.