Thai 2010/11 sugar production may hit record 9.0 million tonnes

BANGKOK: Sugar production from Thailand, the world's second-biggest exporter, may hit a record 9.0 million tonnes in the current 2010/11 crop, senior officials said on Monday.

"After setting aside 2.8 million tonnes of sugar for domestic consumption, we would have about 6.2 million tonnes left for exports, the highest ever," Office of Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB) deputy director-general Opas Isarasenarak told Reuters.

Another senior OCSB official added, "At this moment we have produced 8.5 million tonnes of sugar and crushing is still running on until the second week of May, with plenty of cane being waited for crushing."