Supply and Demand Situation and Prices on the Global and Polish Sugar Market

The aim of the paper is to present the global and Polish sugar balance and the price situation. Several issues have been given particular attention. Firstly, the relationship between the production of sugar and bioethanol in Brazil and world sugar prices. Secondly, the relationship between Brazilian sugar and bioethanol exports and world sugar prices. Thirdly, the relationship between sugar prices in Poland and the world ones when the market support mechanisms at the EU level are in force and after they expire. The study used data from Statistics Poland, USDA-FAS, FAOSTAT, OECD-FAO, to name a few, and was based on correlation and linear regression analysis, as well as the Herfindahl-Hirschman index. The data analysis showed a statistically significant correlation between the production and exports of sugar from Brazil, as well as between Brazilian exports and world sugar prices. The analysis also showed a greater correlation between food prices than sugar and oil price quotas. A much greater correlation was also observed between the selling and retail prices of sugar in Poland and the world sugar prices after the abolition of sugar production quotas and minimum prices for sugar beet in the EU, as compared to the period of application of the support mechanisms