Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2026 number 3

Based on the statistical data on the cultivated areas, crop yield and harvest of sugarcane and sugar beet, as well as on the production and consumption of granulated sugar, the article presents an economic and geographical characteristic of the global sugar industry for the period from 1970 to 2023. It reveals an increasing concentration of sugarcane production and a shift of the core of the cultivation area from South Asia to South America. A shift of the core of sugar beet production from Eastern to Western Europe and deepening of specialization of sugar beet-growing countries have been recorded. A growth vector of sugar beet yield and its sustainability is determined: both indicators decrease toward the southern periphery of the cultivation area, which is prone to aridization. It has been established that territorial shifts in the production of granulated sugar are more pronounced within macroregions than between them. The place of Russia in the global sugar beet industry is characterized: our country is the world leader in sugar beet production and is distinguished by one of the highest rates of yield growth, as well as an exceptional increase of its stability in the world. It is among the largest sugar producers, fully providing its population with this product, which also has high export potential. A typology of countries of the world has been developed based on a combination of two complex indicators: the provision of the sugar industry with domestic raw materials and the provision of the population with domestic sugar. A series of maps reflecting the territorial structure of the global sugar production has been created.