Sugar · importers
Indonesia ranks third of 96 at $3.6B in the sugars and sugar confectionery chapter, and the chapter is fourteenth in its own import bill, a rank that reflects how much the country relies on imported sugar.
| Market | HS 17 imports |
|---|---|
| United States | $7.2B |
| China | $4.2B |
| Germany | $2.6B |
| United Kingdom | $2.2B |
| India | $1.9B |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 17 (sugars and sugar confectionery); sugar is only part of it. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by national authorities; latest available year per market.
China is above at $4.2B and Germany below at $2.6B. Indonesia’s 5.6% share of reported world imports is a full step ahead of Germany. The chapter is 1.5% of its $235.1B imports and ranks 14th among its import chapters, next to fuels at $40.7B, industrial machinery at $34.0B and electrical machinery at $27.2B.
Few sugar markets combine this scale with this weight in the national import bill.
A big population, a beverage and food-processing industry and a domestic cane sector that does not cover all needs make Indonesia a major buyer of raw sugar for refining, as well as of refined sugar for industrial users. Importers include refineries and licensed traders. Ask which you are addressing, and what colour and polarisation specification they buy against.
Contracts are commonly for full vessel loads discharged at a few ports. Because volumes are large and ports are limited, discharge scheduling is a real constraint, so ask what demurrage terms the buyer expects and how quickly it can unload a vessel.
Sugar imports are often regulated through licences, quotas or duties, and Indonesian arrangements have been adjusted from time to time. Treat everything here as background and confirm the present position with the authorities and your buyer. China, Singapore, Japan and the USA lead the overall source list, which covers every product.
The $3.6B covers the whole of HS chapter 17, so confectionery is included, and re-exports can distort rankings.
Read shipment data for the sugar heading to see which receivers take cargoes and how big they are. Once you have shortlisted names, settle Incoterm, currency and port and contact them through this site’s free marketplace.
Third of 96 markets at $3.6B in 2024, a 5.6% share of reported world imports.
It is 1.5% of $235.1B and ranks 14th among import chapters.
Refineries and licensed traders, plus industrial users of refined sugar.
Search sugar-heading shipment records and rank consignees by cargo weight.
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