Berlin, June 16 - India could overtake Russia as a sugar importer in 2009 although India was set to re-emerge later as a major producer, delegates at a conference said on Tuesday.
"I would not be surprised if India imports more than Russia this year," Sergey Gudoshnikov, a senior economist at the London-based International Sugar Organization (ISO), told Reuters.
Speaking on the sidelines of the June 16-17 F.O. Licht World Sugar conference, he added that India was likely to boost its production markedly next year as a result of cyclical factors and high prices.
Delegates said it was possible that India, having shifted from net exporter to net importer of sugar, could import some 2.5 million tonnes of sugar this year.
They also said that Russia, which used to be the world's top raw sugar importer, could import less than that.
"This year it (Russian imports) will probably be less than 2 million tonnes," Dmitri Rylko, general director of Russia's IKAR consultancy, told the conference.
He also said Russian sugar yields were improving and that domestic stocks were believed to be ample as the country slowly moved towards self-sufficiency.
India, on the other hand, has a strong appetite for sugar after a dismal domestic harvest. Indian demand has helped drive up sugar prices sharply this year.