Development of Crystal Sugar Production in Indonesia, 1980-2025

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), sugarcane production in the form of crystal sugar in Indonesia experienced fluctuations during the period 1980-2025.

In Indonesia, crystal sugar is produced by smallholder plantations, large private plantations, and large state-owned plantations.

Over the last 45 years, the highest volume of crystal sugar production occurred in 2008, reaching 2.69 million tons, while the lowest was in 1981, at around 1.23 million tons.

The highest production growth occurred in 1982, surging by 32.25% compared to 1981 production. Meanwhile, the deepest production decline occurred in 1998.

“Crystal sugar production in Indonesia experienced a significant decline when Indonesia was hit by the economic crisis in 1998, falling by 32.10% compared to the previous year,” Kementan explained in its report.

Kementan added that a fairly significant production decline also occurred in 2016, reaching 11.74% compared to 2015.

“This production decline was caused by a wet dry season (La-Nina), which impacted the decrease in sugarcane yield (rendemen),” Kementan stated.

Meanwhile, in 2025, crystal sugar production is estimated to be around 2.59 million tons, an increase of 5.01% compared to the provisional production figure for 2024.

Over the last 45 years, the average growth in crystal sugar production was 2.17% per year. However, if only considering the period 2016-2025, the average growth was 1.94% per year.