THE CUBA REVIEW 33 



SUGAR REVIEW 



Specially written for "The Cuba Review" by Willctt & Gray, New York. 



Our last review was dated December 10th, 1918. 



It is of interest at this time to make a few comparisons of the Sugar Crops of 

 the World with the figures of pre-war production, using for the purpose the crops of 

 1913-14 when the total production of the World rose to 18,667,399 tons, which was 

 the high point reached up to August, 1914, when the World was plunged into the 

 greatest war of history. Our latest estimate for the 1918-19 crop is 16,740,635 tons. 



During that crop year (1913-14) the production of cane sugar in the Americas 

 amounted to 4,985,601 tons, of which quantity 2,597,732 tons were produced in Cuba. 

 Asia outturned 3,992,917 tons, Australia and Polynesia 355,000 tons and Africa 474,- 

 664 tons. For 1918-19 the total in the Americas is estimated at 6,202,635 tons, at 

 least 3,600,000 tons of which will be produced in Cuba. The production of Asia is 

 expected to show an increase to 5,255,000 tons, the largest increase being accounted 

 for in British India, where the crop is consumed locally, although the outturn of Java 

 will be nearly half a million tons greater than 1913-14. The crop of Formosa and 

 Japan has nearly doubled; the figure for the Philippines, however, is practically the 

 same, although this crop in the meantime reached the figure of 332,158 tons in 

 1915-16, but owing to unfavorable weather and other causes has since dropped off to 

 230,000 tons. The production in Australia and Fiji, which in 1917-18 reached 440,887 

 tons will this year not exceed 336,000 tons, or slightly below the production in 1913-14. 

 The crops of Africa, estimated at 585,000 tons, have increased somewhat over 100,000 

 tons during the war period. The total cane crop for 1918-19 of 12,384,635 tons com- 

 pares with 9,821,413 tons in 1913-14, and the beet crop 4,356,000 tons this campaign 

 against 8,845,986 tons in 1913-14. Of the latter the United States beet crop outturned 

 655,298 tons in 1913-14, against our present estimate of 635,000 tons for 1918-19, 

 although this crop reached its highest figure in 1915-16, when 779,756 tons of sugar 

 were made. 



In Europe, Germany is expected to outturn during the campaign 1,400,000 tons 

 of sugar according to most reliable reports, although German press reports give 

 larger figures, against 2,720,000 tons in 1913-14. Germany's largest production be- 

 fore the war was reached in 1912-13 when 2,732,189 tons were produced. The crop of 

 Austria is estimated at 700,000 tons against 1,703,000 tons in the campaign of com- 

 parison, although 1,919,853 tons had been outturned in the previous season. France, 

 where so many of the factories have been destroyed, expects a crop not exceeding 

 150,000 tons this season, against 717,400 tons in 1913-14. France's largest production 

 was in 1901-02 when 1,051,930 tons of sugar were produced. (It is interesting to 

 note that the German wave of advance into France in 1914 had already enveloped 203 

 of the 213 usines when they suffered their first reverse at the Marne). Belgium has 

 dropped to less than one-half of her 1913-14 production, which was 229,049 tons; the 

 record production of recent years was in 1912-13 when 300,253 tons were produced. 

 Holland's estimate of 200,000 tons compares with 230,000 tons in 1913-14, her high 

 figure of 316,933 tons being reached in 1912-13. Russia with 700,000 tons will pro- 

 duce approximately one-third of the 1911-12 crop, which amounted to 2,058,635 tons; 

 in 1913-14 the outturn had dropped to 1,687,799 tons. 



First allotments of new crop Cuba sugars to the United States were made on 

 December 20th, and since that date the Sugar Equalization Board has arranged for 

 the early shipment of 140,000 tons of these sugars. According to latest advices from 

 the Island the weather is cold and fine and 111 centrals are at work. We have today 

 received from Messrs. Guma-Mejer their estimate of the new crop, which they place 

 at 3,991,571 tons, as against Mr. Himley's earlier estimate of 4,010,571 tons. 



