India is about to become the world's biggest sugar producer

Brazil, traditionally the world's top sugar producer, is poised to cede the crown to India for the first time in 16 years. Production in the Asian country this season may rise 5.2 per cent to a record 35.9 million metric tons on increasing acreage and improving yields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service said Tuesday in a report. Brazil's output may tumble 21 per cent to 30.6 million tons because of adverse weather and a shift to produce more cane-based ethanol.Global production is forecast to fall 4.5 per cent to 185.9 million tons, trailing the May estimate of 188.3 million, after the outlooks for Brazil, Thailand and the European Union were revised lower.