VOA新闻杂志2023--Sugar Prices Rise after El Nino Damages Crops

Sugar Prices Rise after El Nino Damages Crops

The sudden and large increase in sugar prices left Ishaq Abdulraheem with few choices. Raising the cost of bread would mean decreasing sales, so the Nigerian baker¹ decided² to cut his production by half.

For other struggling bakers³ in the West African nation, it was the latest of many problems they have faced. Many bakers just closed their shops.

Sugar is needed to make bread, the daily food for Nigeria's 210 million people. For many, bread offers a less costly⁴ source of calories, or energy. Rising sugar prices - an increase of 55 percent in two months - means fewer bakers and less bread.

"It is a very serious situation," Abdulraheem said.

Increases worldwide

Sugar is trading at the highest prices since 2011, mainly due to lower supplies around the world.

The increase followed the unusually dry weather that damaged harvests in India and Thailand, the world's second- and third-largest exporters.

This is just the latest problem for developing nations already dealing⁵ with shortages⁶ of rice and bans on some food trade. Others include the effects of the weather system El Nino and the war in Ukraine. And, increasingly, sugar is being used for biofuels, so worldwide reserves of sugar are at their lowest since 2009.

Brazil is the biggest sugar exporter, but its harvest will only help supply later in 2024. Until then, sugar-importing countries - like most of those in sub-Saharan Africa - remain at risk.

Abba Usman is a trader in the Nigeria capital of Abuja. He said a 50-kilogram bag of sugar that cost $66 a week ago now costs $81. As prices rise, his customers are decreasing.

"The price keeps increasing every day, and we don't know why," Usman said.

El Nino

It is partly due to El Nino, a natural event that shifts the weather around the world and can cause extreme weather conditions like drought or flooding. Scientists believe climate change is making El Nino stronger.

India experienced its driest August in over a century. Crops in the western state of Maharashtra, which accounts for over a third of its sugarcane production, did not grow properly.

The Indian Sugar Mills Association said India's sugar production is likely to decrease by 8 percent this year. The world's most populated nation is also the biggest user of sugar and is now restricting sugar exports.

El Nino affected⁷ both the amount and quality of the harvest in Thailand, said Naradhip Anantasuk, leader of the Thailand Sugar Planters Association. He expects only 76 million metric tons of sugarcane in the 2024 harvest season, compared with 93 million metric tons this year.

Looking ahead, Kelly Goughary, a senior researcher at Gro Intelligence, said Brazil's harvest is predicted to be 20 percent bigger than last year. But since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere⁸, the increase in supply will not come until March.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that the world now has less than 68 days of sugar in reserves to meet its needs.

Some countries, including Indonesia and Kenya, have cut back their sugar imports. China was forced to release sugar from its reserves for the first time in six years to offset⁹ high prices.

Back in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, the struggle of bakers is an example of the effects of rising food, fuel costs and the large impact of high sugar prices.

Bread is often the only food poor families have enough money to buy. When bakers raise bread prices, as they did by 15 percent earlier this year, some people go hungry.

Not passing along higher costs is not possible, said Mansur Umar, president of the Nigerian Bakers' Association.

"There is no way you can buy high and you sell low," he said.

Words in This Story

baker-n. a person who makes bread for a living

reserves-n. something that is being saved for the future

drought-n. a long period of time without enough water

sugarcane-n. a tall grass used for sugar production

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

9 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。