In The Face Of Climate Change And Severe Drought, US Expects To Set Sugar Production Record, Now Farmers Want To Strike A New Deal With The Government
In The Face Of Climate Change And Severe Drought, US Expects To Set Sugar Production Record, Now Farmers Want To Strike A New Deal With The Government
Global sugar production is down. The supply dropped about 2% last year with extreme weather seen the world over. Despite this, the US may be setting a new 9.39 million tonne record according to the expectations set by the USDA for the 2023-2024 year.
全球糖產量下降。去年，由於全球出現極端天氣，供應量下降了約2％。儘管如此，根據美國農業部對2023-2024年的預期，美國可能會創下939萬噸的新紀錄。
Almost 4 million of these tonnes come from sugarcane, the rest from sugarbeets. Cane sugar production has been accelerating in places like Louisiana due to improved farming practices and genetics that allow for a greater yield per acre. The state has faced a severe drought this year, yet it managed to produce 1.8 million tonnes.
這些噸中有將近400萬噸來自甘蔗，其餘來自甜菜。路易斯安那州等地的蔗糖產量一直在加速，這要歸因於耕作方式和遺傳學的改善，每英畝的產量有所提高。該州今年面臨嚴重乾旱，但它設法生產了180萬噸。
A Fair Price?
公平的價格？
The USDA expects retail sugar prices to climb 5.6% in 2024. Consumers are being hit hard. Major food manufacturers, who purchase 70% of domestic sugar, have argued that consumer prices and inflation are being driven by increased prices from producers.
美國農業部預計，零售糖價格將在2024年上漲5.6％。消費者受到沉重打擊。購買國內糖的70％的主要食品製造商認爲，消費者價格和通貨膨脹是由生產商價格上漲所推動的。
But rising costs have hit producers hard too. At the American Sugar Cane League annual meeting, Dr. Robert Johansson, the director of economics and policy analysis at the American Sugar Alliance, spoke about the need for a new farm bill to replace the one passed in 2018, and with it a renewed "safety net" for American farmers.
但是成本上漲也給生產商帶來了沉重打擊。在美國甘蔗聯盟年會上，美國糖業聯盟經濟和政策分析主管羅伯特·約翰森博士談到需要一項新的農業法案來取代2018年通過的法案，並由此爲美國農民重新建立 “安全網”。
Much has happened since the bill was signed into law. Global production and supply chains have been disrupted or altered by events from the Pandemic to the invasion of Ukraine, not to mention the recent droughts.
自該法案簽署成爲法律以來，發生了很多事情。從疫情到入侵烏克蘭，更不用說最近的乾旱了，全球生產和供應鏈已經中斷或改變。
Critically, production costs have been driven up by a steep increase in the cost of fertilizer, equipment, and labor.
至關重要的是，化肥、設備和勞動力成本的急劇上漲推動了生產成本的上升。
Johansson and other advocates of the American sugar industry plan to make a push in Washington over the next year to bring about a new bill that will meet their needs.
約翰遜和其他美國糖業的擁護者計劃明年在華盛頓推動制定一項滿足他們需求的新法案。
Investing Opportunities
投資機會
Understanding the impact climate and geopolitics have on US agriculture is critical for those looking to invest in commodities. Individual investors can get involved in the markets by trading futures, but this can be a complicated practice out of reach for many. Even for seasoned traders, pitfalls abound.
了解氣候和地緣政治對美國農業的影響對於那些希望投資大宗商品的人來說至關重要。個人投資者可以通過交易期貨來參與市場，但這可能是許多人無法企及的複雜做法。即使對於經驗豐富的交易者來說，陷阱也比比皆是。
An alternative is investing in a commodity ETF, like those offered by Teucrium Investment Advisors, LLC. The firm offers a host of agricultural funds carefully curated to give investors simple, liquid access to commodities funds like Teucrium Sugar ETF CANE.
另一種選擇是投資大宗商品ETF，例如Teucrium Investment Advisors, LLC提供的ETF。該公司提供一系列精心策劃的農業基金，爲投資者提供簡單、流動的投資渠道，例如Teucrium Sugar ETF CANE。
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
亞歷山大·格雷在 Unsplash 上的照片