China announced on July 16 that it will be imposing a uniform 90% import duty on out of quota sugar imports starting August 1. It will also be abolishing the duty exemptions given to developing countries exporting less than 3% of total Chinese sugar imports.
Agriculture editors Srijan Kanoi and Andrei Agapi examine how this change will affect Thai sugar cash values and trade flows, as sugar imports into China from Central and Southern American countries will be priced out due to cheaper freight from Thailand.