Sugar consumption falls by nearly 33% in five years

photo: collected

Sugar consumption in Bangladesh has declined steadily over the past five years, with usage projected to fall by nearly 33 percent in the 2025-26 marketing year compared with 2021-22, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Sugar consumption stood at 2.767 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year and is projected to drop to 1.863 million tonnes in 2025-26. Among major sugar-consuming countries, Bangladesh has recorded the sharpest decline in consumption.

Industry insiders attribute the trend to rising cases of diabetes, fatty liver disease and high blood pressure, which have prompted people to reduce their sugar intake. Prolonged high inflation has also contributed to the decline, according to market operators.

Doctors generally advise patients with diabetes, fatty liver disease and high blood pressure to avoid or limit sugar as part of their treatment. Excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. As diabetes becomes increasingly common among younger people, many consumers are consciously cutting back on sugary foods. Growing health awareness, rising sugar prices and changing dietary habits have also contributed to the trend.

Shreyoshi Majumder, a resident of Moddho Badda in the capital, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2025. A postgraduate student at a private university, she said she underwent several medical tests on a doctor's advice after falling ill before her final undergraduate examination.

Since her diagnosis, she has been trying to change her dietary habits, walk regularly and exercise. Although she cannot always maintain a regular exercise routine, she avoids sugar and tries to eat fibre-rich foods.

The number of people living with diabetes in Bangladesh increased from 8.4 million in 2011 to around 14 million in 2024, a rise of nearly 65 percent. Currently, 13.2 percent of adults aged 20 to 79 have diabetes, while 39.1 percent of those affected remain undiagnosed. This represents approximately 5.426 million people, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Medical professionals estimate that around 20,000 children in Bangladesh are also living with diabetes.

Cases of high blood pressure have also been rising in the country. Preliminary findings from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) for 2017-18 showed that around 40 percent of people aged 35 and above had high blood pressure, compared with 26 percent in 2011.

The 2017-18 survey found that the prevalence was 45 percent among women and 34 percent among men. In 2011, the rates were 32 percent and 19 percent, respectively. According to projections from the survey, the number of people with high blood pressure in Bangladesh could reach around 46 million by 2040.

High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. According to a World Health Organization report published in 2025, cardiovascular diseases caused 283,800 deaths in Bangladesh in 2024. The report attributed 52 percent of these deaths to high blood pressure.

Specialist physician Professor Dr M.S. Johirul Haque Chowdhury said that cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke were increasing in the country.

"These diseases are associated with obesity. Excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates can increase fat accumulation in the body and raise the risk of obesity," he said.

"To reduce the risk of these diseases, people need to cut back on processed foods and excessive sugar and salt intake. Physical activity and weight management must also be prioritised," he added.

The decline in sugar consumption for health reasons has also been observed by tea industry representatives.

Shah Moinuddin Hasan, chairman of the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh (TTAB) and head of the tea division at Ispahani Group, said that more people were choosing not to add sugar to their tea for health reasons.

"Middle-class and health-conscious consumers, in particular, are increasingly drinking plain liquor tea without sugar. As a result, sugar consumption alongside tea is declining," he said.

Kamran Tanvirur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Tea Association, also believes that reduced sugar consumption in tea is affecting overall demand.

"People drink an enormous number of cups of tea every day in Bangladesh. Even a small reduction in the amount of sugar used per cup can lead to a significant change in total consumption over a year," he said.

Meanwhile, fatty liver disease has emerged as another major health concern alongside diabetes and high blood pressure. According to research by the Bangladesh Hepatology Society, one in every three people in the country has fatty liver disease, with around 10 million at risk of developing cirrhosis.

Available data also indicate that liver diseases account for 2.82 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh.

Excess weight, abdominal fat, diabetes and unhealthy dietary habits increase the risk of fatty liver disease. Prolonged sitting and a lack of physical exercise are also associated with the condition.

Nishat Sharmin Nishi, a nutritionist at Popular Medical College Hospital, said that excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates was increasing the risk of diabetes, fatty liver disease and heart disease.

"Although these conditions were previously more common among older people, younger people are now also facing an increased risk of fatty liver disease and heart disease," she said.

She added that processed foods and restaurant meals exposed people to excessive calories and sugar. Such foods may contain hidden sugars in addition to sugar directly added during preparation.

"People need to pay attention not only to reducing sugar in tea and cooking but also to their consumption of biscuits, bakery products, soft drinks and processed foods," she said.

National professor AK Azad Khan, president of the Bangladesh Diabetic Society said  that the association was working at the grassroots level to raise awareness about controlling these diseases, while the government was also taking various initiatives.

However, he stressed that changes in dietary habits and lifestyle were essential.

Market data also reflect the downward trend in sugar consumption. According to the USDA, consumption fell from 2.237 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 2.045 million tonnes in 2023-24 and 1.89 million tonnes in 2024-25. It is projected to decline further to 1.863 million tonnes in 2025-26.

Market operators said rising global sugar prices following the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and increased use of sugarcane for biofuel production had affected the domestic market.

At the same time, prices of essential commodities, including rice, lentils and edible oil, have risen. As a result, middle-class households have cut spending on sweets and other sugar-based products.

Domestic sugar production at state-owned mills has also declined, while the sector continues to face substantial financial losses.

According to the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), state-owned sugar mills once produced around 200,000 tonnes of sugar annually. In the 2019-20 marketing year, 15 mills produced more than 82,000 tonnes. Production fell to 21,314 tonnes in 2022-23 before rising to 43,326 tonnes at nine mills in the latest 2025-26 season.

The mills have incurred heavy losses due to operational inefficiencies and delays in releasing funds for purchasing sugarcane within the designated period.

BSFIC's income and expenditure data show that state-owned sugar mills and associated entities incurred losses of around Tk 477 crore in FY2025-26, down from approximately Tk 555 crore in the previous fiscal year.

The production cost of sugar at these state-owned facilities has reached around Tk 300 per kilogram, far exceeding the current retail price of approximately Tk 125 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, private companies account for nearly 97 percent of Bangladesh's sugar supply. As demand grew in the past, private-sector producers expanded their production capacity over the last decade. However, after five to six years of negative demand growth, leading mills have reduced daily output to below their production capacity.

Meghna Group of Industries is one of the country's major private-sector sugar producers. Taslim Shahriar, deputy general manager of the group, attributed the decline in sugar consumption to growing health awareness and declining purchasing power.

"Sugar consumption has fallen mainly because of increasing health awareness and a downward trend in people's purchasing power. The perception that sugar causes many complex diseases has become widespread across all sections of society," he said.

He said the shift often began with people choosing not to add sugar to tea. Rising rates of diabetes and reduced purchases of sweets and other non-essential food products had also affected sugar consumption across different uses.

"Although our production capacity is around 5,500 tonnes a day, we are currently producing approximately 2,500 tonnes due to declining demand," he added.

Courtesy: Bonik Barta