The unsold volume of sugar at factories was estimated at 457,890 tonnes as of July 15, 32,160 tonnes higher than a year earlier, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said.

However, this will not be a serious problem if the current effective control of smuggling can be maintained, according to Doan Xuan Hoa, deputy head of MARD’s Department of Processing and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production.

At the same time, he pointed to the fact that most sugar makers have not formed partners with distributors, thus their sales depend much on the market. As a result, they are under great pressure when supply overcomes demand on the domestic market. To add to the problem, sugar export is also facing many difficulties.

Hoa urged the Vietnam Sugarcane and Sugar Association and businesses to devise production and sales plans for 2015 so as to ensure supply and demand balance in the domestic market.

The department forecasts the sugar output from now to the end of 2014 at 300,000 tonnes, while imports this year are expected to reach 77,300 tonnes, bringing total supply to 835,190 tonnes.

Meanwhile, sugar consumption is predicted to be at the same level as last year, resulting in unsold inventory of around 251,240 tonnes by the end of the year.-VNA