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.
全球糖产量下降。去年，由于全球出现极端天气，供应量下降了约2％。尽管如此，根据美国农业部对2023-2024年的预期，美国可能会创下939万吨的新纪录。
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.
这些吨中有将近400万吨来自甘蔗，其余来自甜菜。路易斯安那州等地的蔗糖产量一直在加速，这要归因于耕作方式和遗传学的改善，每英亩的产量有所提高。该州今年面临严重干旱，但它设法生产了180万吨。
A Fair Price?
公平的价格？
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.
美国农业部预计，零售糖价格将在2024年上涨5.6％。消费者受到沉重打击。购买国内糖的70％的主要食品制造商认为，消费者价格和通货膨胀是由生产商价格上涨所推动的。
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.
但是成本上涨也给生产商带来了沉重打击。在美国甘蔗联盟年会上，美国糖业联盟经济和政策分析主管罗伯特·约翰森博士谈到需要一项新的农业法案来取代2018年通过的法案，并由此为美国农民重新建立 “安全网”。
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.
自该法案签署成为法律以来，发生了很多事情。从疫情到入侵乌克兰，更不用说最近的干旱了，全球生产和供应链已经中断或改变。
Critically, production costs have been driven up by a steep increase in the cost of fertilizer, equipment, and labor.
至关重要的是，化肥、设备和劳动力成本的急剧上涨推动了生产成本的上升。
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.
约翰逊和其他美国糖业的拥护者计划明年在华盛顿推动制定一项满足他们需求的新法案。
Investing Opportunities
投资机会
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.
了解气候和地缘政治对美国农业的影响对于那些希望投资大宗商品的人来说至关重要。个人投资者可以通过交易期货来参与市场，但这可能是许多人无法企及的复杂做法。即使对于经验丰富的交易者来说，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.
另一种选择是投资大宗商品ETF，例如Teucrium Investment Advisors, LLC提供的ETF。该公司提供一系列精心策划的农业基金，为投资者提供简单、流动的投资渠道，例如Teucrium Sugar ETF CANE。
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
亚历山大·格雷在 Unsplash 上的照片