BEIJING — China’s sugar consumption is predicted to increase from October 2018 to September 2019 due to expectations of lower sugar prices, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The country will consume 15.2 million tons of sugar during the period, up 200,000 tons year-on-year, said the report released by the Chinese Agriculture Outlook Committee, an advisory body with the ministry.

Consumption will be boosted by falling sugar prices, as increased global sugar output results in oversupply, the report said.

Sugar output in China is predicted to rise 4.2 percent year-on-year to 10.68 million tons.

The report forecasts that sugar imports during the period will hit 3.2 million tons, the same as a year earlier, and that exports will increase 30,000 tons year-on-year to 150,000 tons.