29 Million Ton Sugarcane Harvest

WASHINGTON - Oct 12/06 - SNS -- Sugarcane output is forecast at 29.0 million tons this year, 2% above the September forecast and 9% above 2005, according to the USDA's crop production report.

Sugarcane growers intend to harvest 908,800 acres for sugar and seed during the 2006 crop year, down fractionally from September and down 1% from last year. Yield is forecast at 31.9 tons per acre, 0.7 ton above the previous forecast and 3.1 tons above the 2005 yield.

In Florida, area expected for harvest and yield are both down from the previous forecast due to damage caused by frequent showers in the Lake Okeechobee area. However, production is up 11% from last year's hurricane-damaged crop.

Louisiana's acreage is unchanged from the previous forecast, but expected yield is 2.0 tons higher than last month due to a growth spurt caused by rainfall in late August and warm weather in September. The acreage, yield, and production forecasts are unchanged from last month for Hawaii and Texas.

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