New players and emerging issues in the domestic and international sweetener markets could spell shifts for sugar users in 2019.  What will it mean for the more than 200 IDFA members that use sugar in their products and are affected by domestic supply levels and prices? A series of outlook sessions at International Sweetener Colloquium, Feb. 24-27 in Aventura, Fla., have been devoted to dissecting the markets that will matter most to sweetener users, as well as the economic factors that will most affect American sweetener users in 2019.

International Sweetener Outlook

The world sugar market is undergoing a transition. The record-high surplus stocks of sugar last year were trimmed by a sharp decline in exportable production in Brazil and weather woes in Europe. India is also poised to displace Brazil as the world’s largest sugar producer with back-to-back years of record cane-crop production. At the same time, world raw-sugar prices continue to climb back from a 10-year low set in August. A panel featuring an administration official, market analyst and industry expert will assess these issues and the world situation and provide ideas and insight into the future direction of the international market.

The panel will feature insights from Ben Fessler, market analyst, international trade and development, C. Czarnikow Sugar, Inc., and Leticia Phillips, North American representative, Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association.

The panel will be moderated by Ronald Lord, director of the Import Policies & Export Reporting Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Domestic Sugar Market Outlook

U.S. beet growers are producing at a record pace, while the suspension agreements between the United States and Mexico are working to fill the void in the raw cane market. With sugar supplies controlled by the U.S. sugar program, what factors will dictate domestic sugar prices going forward? Are product reformulations and sugar consumption trends affecting its use? Where do corn sweeteners and their declining demand fit into the picture?

Frank Jenkins, president of JSG Commodities, and Craig Ruffolo, vice president and commodity specialist at McKeany-Flavell Company, will answer these questions and more as they analyze the domestic sweetener market and provide direction for the road ahead.

The panel will be moderated by Ron Sterk, senior editor of markets at Sosland Publishing.

The US Economic Outlook

It’s been nearly a decade since the financial crisis and the Great Recession and the U.S. economy is regaining its strength and resilience. The U.S. agricultural economy, however, is not benefiting from the current “bull” market, according to some financial experts.

In a session new to the event, called the U.S. Economic Outlook, these experts will provide an overview of U.S. economic prospects and offer a forecast for U.S. agricultural interests.

The panelists are Luke Chandler, chief economist at Deere & Company, Christian Lawrence, senior market strategist at Rabobank, and Randy Green, principal of Watson Green LLC.

International Sweetener Colloquium

For more than 30 years, the  International Sweetener Colloquium has gathered key players from all sectors of the global sweetener industry to provide a dynamic look at the policies, politics and public perceptions that are driving today’s sweetener industry.

It will be held Feb. 24-27 at the Turnberry Isle Miami in Aventura, Fla., just outside the city of Miami. Read more and register here.

Members with questions may contact Melissa Lembke, IDFA director of programs and partnerships, at mlembke@idfa.org.