Egypt raises local sugar buying price as cane harvest begins

Egypt has raised its buying price for sugar cane to 720 Egyptian pounds ($40.75) per tonne from 700 pounds, the supply ministry said on Monday, after farmers had been reluctant to sell to the government at the start of the sugar cane harvest.

Egypt expects to produce about 1 million tonnes of sugar from cane this season, which runs from January through May.

Egypt also produces about 1.3 million tonnes of sugar from sugar beet each year and consumes about 3 million tonnes annually.

It meets its production shortfall with a mix of private and public sector imports.