REVIEW ARTICLE Development of Sugar Industry in ASEAN Countries S. Solomon 1 • M. Swapna 2 • Vo Tong Xuan 3 • Yi Yi Mon 4 Received: 3 November 2016 / Accepted: 4 November 2016 Ó Society for Sugar Research & Promotion 2016 Abstract The ASEAN countries, contributing around 10% of the global sugar production, are important players in the global sugar trade. These countries together produce over 17 million tonnes of sugar and consume around 15 million tonnes of sugar annually. Thailand is the second largest sugar exporter after Brazil, with an export share of 60%. Indonesia is the world’s third largest consumer and a major importer of sugar. Philippines, another sugarcane-growing country, has its production entirely consumption oriented and aims to ascertain its status as a net exporter of sugar. The South-East Asian countries account for *13% of the global centrifugal raw sugar exports and *14% of the global sugar imports. Thus, this group of sugar-producing countries influences the world sugar trade to a great extent. Even with many favourable factors, the cane productivity, sugar production and over all status of sugar industry in these countries are not very impressive due to several region-specific challenges. The recent economic developments like formation of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) leading to ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), and other related reforms have provided sufficient impetus for these countries to gear up to these emerging situations and become globally competitive. The review outlines the present status of sugar industry in this region, the challenges faced by the ASEAN countries and the way forward, especially in the light of the new eco- nomic developments in this region. Keywords ASEAN Á Sugar Á AEC Á AFTA Á Roadmap Introduction The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping of countries with an aim to promote economic, political and security cooperation among its members. The ten members of the group include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. This brings together neighbours with varying economic, political and social systems, like Singapore, with the highest GDP per capita (more than $52,000 based on 2015 World Bank figures) and Cambodia with a low per capita GDP ($1159). The members’ political systems are equally mixed with varying demographics (www.cfr.org). ASEAN has a combined population of approximately 633 million and a GDP exceeding US$2 trillion. The GDP of the ASEAN region has been projected to grow to US$10 trillion by 2030. ASEAN is also the central driving force of East Asia and one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, cre- ating vast business and investment opportunities. At the Disclaimer: The information provided in this article gives an overall idea about the subject and is based on limited material from the available secondary sources. While every precaution has been taken in its preparation, the authors/publisher assumes no responsibility for the accuracy/completeness or adequacy of the data/information presented. Neither the contributor nor the publisher shall be held liable for the improper/incorrect use of the information contained herein. References/links provided do not constitute endorsement of any particular source. & S. Solomon presidentssrp@gmail.com 1 Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, C-2/278 Sector-F, Jankipuram, Lucknow 226021, India 2 Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow 226002, Uttar Prdaesh, India 3 Sugarcane Research & Development Center, Thanh Thanh Cong. SRDC, Chau Thanh Dist. Tay Ninh, Vietnam 4 Department of Industrial Crops Development, MOAI, Naypyidaw, Myanmar 123 Sugar Tech DOI 10.1007/s12355-016-0497-z