India’s 2019 election : how sugar influences the world’s biggest vote

India election 2019: How sugar influences the world's biggest vote

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a recent election meeting in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, he was compelled to make a promise relating to sugar, a diet staple.

Farmers who grow cane in the politically crucial state ruled by Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were angry because sugar mills had not paid their dues in time. They held protests and blocked railway tracks. "I know there are cane dues. I will make sure every penny of yours will be paid," Mr Modi told the audience.

India's sugar mills are bleeding money and collectively owe billions of dollars to 50 million cane farmers , many of whom haven't been paid for nearly a year. Niti Ayog, a government think tank, says the arrears have reached "alarming" levels. More than 12 million tonnes of unsold sugar have piled up in factories. There is little incentive to export more as India's sugar price is higher than the international price.

Sugar is a serious business in India. Around 525 mills produced more than 30 million tonnes of sugar in the last crushing season, which lasted from October to April. This makes it the world's largest producer, unseating Brazil. A large number of mills are run by cooperatives where farmers own shares proportional to the land they own and pledge their produce to the mill.

That's not all. Some 50 million farmers, tightly concentrated geographically, are engaged in cane farming. Millions more work in the mills and farms and are engaged in transportation of cane.

As with much of India's politics, cane growers appear to be a reliable "vote bank". Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, which together produce 60% of the country's sugar, send 128 MPs to the parliament. The price of cane can swing votes in more than 150 of the 545 seats in the ongoing general election, according to one estimate. Sugar is possibly the "most politicised crop in the world”

Indians are also voracious consumers of sugar. The bulk of the supply goes into making sweets, confectionary and fizzy drinks that are beginning to contribute to a rising obesity problem, like elsewhere in the world. 

We need differential pricing for sugar. Cheap sugar should be only provided to people who can't afford it. The rest should pay a higher price

"Otherwise, the industry will collapse, and farmers will die. Even politicians will not be able to save it."

What might the future hold for India's sugarcane industry?

CHARTING THE FUTURE OF INDIA’S SUGAR INDUSTRY

India’s domestic sugar market is in the doldrums, as the international market price of sugar has been falling. With general elections , managing sugar markets and balancing the interests of sugar millers and sugarcane producers is a serious policy challenge for India’s government. Higher sugarcane production in the 2017-18 crop year has only made the problem more complex. As with many so-called political commodities, the fate of the current government may depend on how it handles this policy issue—particularly given the distressing trend of rising numbers of sugarcane farmers committing suicide  due to difficult economic conditions. In Uttar Pradesh, for example, a total of $1.8 billion remained unpaid  to sugarcane farmers as of mid-May.

The government has implemented a number of policy fixes to help sugar mills and cane producers. They fall into two broad categories: Increasing exports and finding alternative markets. However, both options are complex, as increasing sugar exports is not easy when world prices are sluggish. Diverting a significant portion of current sugar stocks to the production of renewable fuels, mainly ethanol, also has its own challenges, including government restrictions on food-based feedstock use on energy production.

In addition, per capita sugar consumption is stable or slightly declining globally, and other technologically advanced major sugar producing countries, including Brazil and Thailand, are formidable competitors, so Indian sugar exporters would face serious challenges in the world market.

Growing sugarcane as a commercial crop venture could be an effective tool for reaching the government goal of doubling farmer income by 2022. But bold policy alternatives are needed to make that a reality. This post aims to shed light on the consequences of the removal of restriction on direct sugar use as feedstock for ethanol production on overall domestic sugar demand.

Fall in prices

According to the World Bank, the world sugar price will hover around $0.37 per kg in 2018, 12 percent below its 2016 peak. India is the world’s second largest producer of sugar, and its domestic sugar mills face downward price pressure in both international and domestic markets. According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, the domestic retail price of sugar dropped by 14 percent to $0.54 per kg in May 2018 from a high of $0.64 per kg in September 2017

The government’s Agriculture Statistics Division is forecasting that in crop year 2017-18 sugar production will exceed 35 million metric tons (MT), 16 percent higher than the previous year. With flat domestic consumption, the 2017-18 sugar stocks are projected to be double that of 2016-17. This will certainly result in a further glut, making it harder for mill owners to pay what they owe sugarcane farmers. Sugar mill owners must pay a government-determined base price of $0.37 to producers. At this rate, it is nearly impossible to maintain any profit margin by selling raw sugar in the domestic market.

Understanding the importance of a stable sugar price for domestic sugar mills and farmers, the government has imposed reverse stock holding limits on sugar mills, restricting the amount of sugar they can stockpile.

Exporting the surplus sugar to the deficit region of the world could be an option here. In anticipation of future growth in the export market for sugar, the government took measures such as doubling customs duties on sugar imports to 100 percent, and reducing tariffs on sugar exports to zero. The government is also negotiating sugar exports to China. However, this strategy faces problems as Indian sugar producers may face tough competition from Brazil and Thailand.

The government should seriously and urgently consider policies and programs that will support sugar mills in developing ethanol production and capacity

What about sugar alternatives?

WHAT ABOUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVES?

So, with more research coming out about the dangers of sugar, companies are scrambling to protect their image by promoting “healthy” alternatives so that they can slap on a fancy labels and toot their own horn.
There are a few main sugar alternatives that I want to cover, and allow you to make up your own mind:
Coconut sugar:

Coconut sugar is extracted from the sap of the coconut palm.It contains a few nutrients, including iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, as well as antioxidants.It also has a lower glycemic index than sugar, which may be partly due to its inulin content.Inulin is a type of fiber that has been shown to slow glucose absorption Nevertheless, coconut sugar is still very high in calories, containing the same number of calories per serving as regular sugar.It's also very high in fructose, which is the main reason why regular sugar is so unhealthy in the first place.

Honey:

Honey is a thick, golden liquid produced by honey bees.It contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals, as well as an abundance of beneficial antioxidantsEating honey may help raise the levels of antioxidants in your blood. High levels of antioxidants in the blood are linked to a lower risk of disease In fact, honey has been shown to improve several risk factors for disease.

Maple syrup:

Maple syrup is a thick, sugary liquid that's made by cooking down the sap of maple trees.It contains a decent amount of minerals, including calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese.It also contains at least 24 different types of antioxidants A couple test-tube studies have indicated that maple syrup may even have anti-cancer benefits, but more research is needed to confirm this.While maple syrup contains some beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, it's very high in sugar. It has a slightly lower glycemic index than regular sugar, so it may not raise blood sugar levels as quickly, but it will still raise them .Much 

like coconut sugar and honey, maple syrup is a slightly better option than regular sugar, but it should still be consumed in moderation.

Molasses:

Molasses is a sweet, brown liquid with a thick, syrup-like consistency. It's made from boiling down sugar cane or sugar beet juice.It contains a handful of vitamins and minerals, as well as several antioxidants.In fact, blackstrap molasses is higher in antioxidants than both honey and maple syrup.Molasses makes a fine replacement for refined sugar, but there is no reason to add it to your diet, as it's still a form of sugar.

What surprising food contains sugar?

What surprising food contains sugar? 

That’s nothing new, and it’s not a shock to companies that manufacture food.  For that reason, companies have started to disguise the sugar in their foods, so it’s not as apparent how much sugar you are consuming.  Here’s a quick list of what sugar can be listed as on a label:

1. Agave nectar
2. Brown sugar
3. Cane crystals
4. Cane sugar
5. Corn sweetener
6. Corn syrup
7. Crystalline fructose
8. Dextrose
9. Evaporated cane juice
10. Organic evaporated cane juice
11. Fructose
12. Fruit juice concentrates
13. Glucose
14. High-fructose corn syrup
15. Honey
16. Invert sugar
17. Lactose
18. Maltose
19. Malt syrup
20. Molasses
21. Raw sugar
22. Sucrose
23. Sugar
24. Syrup 

Why do they change the name of sugar?  
Because nutritional labels are required by law to list their most prominent ingredients first. By putting two or three different types of sugar in the food (and calling them each a different name), they can spread out the sugar across three ingredients and have it show up much further down.

What about fruit sugar?
Ahhhh, the great “is fruit sugar bad for you” debate…

Honestly, I’m quite torn on fruit and fruit sugar.   I know a LOT of fruit can contain a lot of fructose (and thus a lot of sugar).

That being said, I believe the consumption of fruit can be beneficial.


When you consume fruit, you are not only consuming fructose (in its natural state), but also consuming fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals.  Yes, fruit can have an effect on your blood sugar, it IS sugar. But generally fruit will cause less of a blood sugar spike compared to nutrient-void table
 sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Everything you need to know about Sugar

SUGAR

If I had to point one culprit to our country’s expanding waistlines and deteriorating health, it would be sugar.

You probably have a lot of questions about sugar

•Is sugar THAT bad for your health? 

•Fruits have sugar, are eating fruits bad? 

•Are certain types of sugar better or worse for you? 

•Can one really get addicted to sugar? 

Nutrition is the BIGGEST change that needs to happen if you are trying to lose weight and get healthy.The problem isn’t just knowing that we need to eat less sugar but that we need to build systems to help retrain ourselves to not be hooked on the stuff. Too many people go about quitting sugar the wrong way, and end up falling off the wagon hard. 

WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR BODY WHEN WE EAT SUGAR

When we consume sugar, our body has two options on how to deal with it:
•Burn it for energy
•Convert into fat and store it in our fat cells 

Problem is, there’s a LOT more room for fat storage, and a lot less room to burn the sugar as energy.
we have this sugar in our body and blood stream. What happens next? When your pancreas detects a rush of sugar, it releases a hormone called insulin to deal with all of that excess sugar.

Insulin helps regulate that level of sugar in our blood; the more sugar in the blood stream, the more insulin is released.  Insulin helps store all of this glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogenand in fat cells (aka adipocytes stored as triglycerides).
 Along with making you fat, sugar consumption has been implicated in a litany of crimes, including contributing to an increased chance of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, macular degeneration, renal failure, chronic kidney disease, and high blood pressure.