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The closely watched stocks to use ratio was seen at 11.3 for 2018/19, down from October's forecast of 12.7, the USDA said in its monthly supply-demand report. That compares with a ratio of 16.0 in the 2017/18 crop year that ended Sept. 30.
US sugar farmers will produce 9.02 million short tons (8.18 million tonnes) in 2018/19 as a drop in beet output offsets higher cane production in Louisiana. That compares with output of 9.29 million tons a year earlier.
The forecast for total imports was unchanged at 2.80 million tons.