The world sugar economy is characterized by a large number of producing and consuming countries with trade occurring under a myriad of special trading arrangements, government policies, and international agreements. The highly regulated conditions in which sugar is traded is attributed to a number of. factors including: 1) protectionist pressures from manufacturers; 2) producer pressure for higher farm prices; 3) commitments to self-sufficiency; 4) political alignments; 5) volatile nature of sugar prices; and 6) consumer behavior.