Photo Source: General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC)

Congratulations to Yunnan Province on this outstanding milestone!

On May 18, China’s General Administration of Customs published an official report titled “Streamlined Customs Clearance Fuels ‘Sweet Momentum’ in Border Trade—Yunnan’s Imported Sugarcane Reaches 3.75 Million Tonnes in the New Crushing Season.”

The ynsugar analytics team extends its congratulations to Yunnan’s sugar industry on this remarkable achievement. According to Yunnan Customs statistics, the province imported a total of 3.75 million tonnes of sugarcane (raw material cane) during the 2025/26 crushing season—a year-on-year increase of 19.8%.

Based on official data, Yunnan’s average sugar recovery rate stood at 13.11% as of April 30. Using this figure, the ynsugar team estimates that the 3.75 million tonnes of imported cane would yield approximately 491,600 tonnes of sugar—approaching the 500,000-tonne mark.

Through the end of April in the 2025/26 crushing season, Yunnan Province processed a cumulative total of 21 million tonnes of sugarcane, producing 2.7522 million tonnes of sugar. Notably, imported cross-border sugarcane accounted for 17.86% of total cane crushed—underscoring the growing strategic role of border trade in Yunnan’s sugar supply chain.

Background: The Strategic Role of Cross-Border Sugar Trade

Yunnan’s sugar industry relies heavily on a unique cross-border trade framework, often described as the “grow abroad, process at home” agricultural model. Under this cooperative initiative, Chinese enterprises provide advanced sugarcane germplasm resources, precision fertilization technologies, and pest management expertise to farmers in neighboring Southeast Asian nations, primarily Myanmar and Laos.

Once harvested, the raw material cane is transported through dedicated customs green channels directly to domestic mills in Yunnan for crushing. This strategic inflow effectively buffers the Chinese domestic market against localized supply shocks, complements production dynamics in other major regions like Guangxi, and helps balance the overall national sugar equilibrium.

Data Sources:

General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), Official Press Release (May 18, 2026).
Yunnan Customs District Statistics.
YnSugar Internal Research Database (2025/26 Crushing Season Series).