USDA’s Producer Price Index (PPI) for refined beet sugar has trended higher since the start of calendar 2017. For 2017/18 through June, the average PPI for refined beet sugar is reported up 9.4 percent or around 13 index points from the average in 2016/17. By comparison, the PPI for refined cane sugar is up just 1.5 percent from 2016/17. This is a continuation of last year for refined cane, which saw its PPI rise 1.4 percent, unlike the beet PPI, which dipped 4.1 percent in 2016/17.

The average refined cane PPI has fallen 5.2 percent this season, reversing 2016/17’s growth of 4.6 percent from 2015/16. The PPI for corn sweeteners has grown 1.5 percent in 2017/18, slower than the growth of 4.7 percent in 2016/17.

Looking at the averages for five-year periods, from 2012/13 through 2016/17 vs. 2007/08 through 2011/12, the corn sweetener PPI fell by 7.1 percent, close to the 6.8 percent drop for the raw cane sugar PPI of 6.8 percent. For that five-year comparison for refined sugar, cane was up 2.0 percent, while beet was down 5.7 percent.

Average domestic sweetener producer price index (PPI)

Source: USDA (Corn sweeteners, 1985 baseline; sugar, 1982 baseline)
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