News From Agro-Industrial Complex

Sugarcane production and cane sugar content are affected not only by weather, but also by the increasingly influential cane sugar processing into ethanol. That makes sugar more volatile and more sensitive to every new forecast on cane yields, crushing pace, and the ethanol usage.

In the last few seasons, sugar prices flowed a downtrend with short, sharp rallies. Traders consider any forecast of production decline as a signal for price upward move, but the market is now getting a different story for the transition from 2024/25 to 2025/26 season with higher global output and a more comfortable balance.

The main drivers of the sugar market in 2025 were the forecasts of the deficit of sugar on the world market from ISO for one season 2024/25. Over the four updates of the forecast, significant changes have occurred – an increase in the production/consumption gap and a sharp reduction in the deficit indicator.

The state of implementation of humanitarian demining measures was discussed at a meeting at the Mine Action Office of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU). According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine has made significant progress in clearing Ukrainian land of explosive ordnance. At the same time, the Head of Government accentuated the challenges that need to be addressed.

IFC announced a $40 million investment in Astarta, a leading Ukrainian agricultural group, to support the construction of the country’s first soy protein concentrate plant. This investment is in line with up to $80 million financing package approved by IFC’s Board of Directors on April 1, 2025. The project is expected to boost employment, enhance agricultural productivity, and drive economic growth.

The financing package includes a $27 million loan for IFC’s own account, and a $13 million concessional loan from the government of the Netherlands. IFC’s financing is backed by guarantees from the European Commission’s Ukraine Investment Framework, and the government of the Netherlands in support of IFC’s Economic Resilience Action (ERA) Program for Ukraine.

The pending agreement between the United States and Ukraine regarding minerals and natural resources will not include financial aid provided to Kyiv prior to the signing of the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 27.