The climate crisis reaches sweets too: sugar prices are soaring

Heat waves and drought are damaging sugar crops in India, Brazil and Europe. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, world sugar prices are about 15% higher than last year. In India, the market has opened to sugar imports, and farmers report a drop of up to 70% in their harvest.

Heat waves and drought are damaging sugarcane crops in India, Brazil and Europe, and world sugar prices are about 15% higher than last year, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The figure was published today (Friday) in the New York Times. In India, the world's second-largest sugar producer, the damage to crops has led to the opening of the market to sugar imports. The country is dealing with a particularly weak monsoon and extreme weather conditions, after crops were also damaged last year by excess rain and pests. One farmer from the state of Maharashtra estimated that his harvest would be 70% lower than usual, and after he struggled to repay loans, the bank seized his tractor. The sugar shortage also raises concern because of its role in India's program to expand the use of ethanol as fuel, which requires blending 20% ethanol into gasoline. Brazil, the world's largest sugar producer, is also dealing with crop damage, and in Europe sugar fields have been hit. Candy store owners report price increases of about 10% and a drop in the amount of purchases.