Sugar is a global commodity, with almost 180 million metric tons being produced in more than 120 countries each year. Though much of the sugar produced by these countries is consumed locally in food products or, increasingly, for ethanol production, the largest producing countries are often exporters as well and in total contribute 60-70 million metric tons delivered into the global market each year.
Raw sugar, also known as centrifugal sugar, is the primary traded form and is produced from either sugar cane or sugar beet. In any given year, 70-80% of sugar is produced from sugar cane grown in tropical countries, with the remaining 20-30% is produced from sugar beet, a root crop grown mostly in northern temperate zones.
