- Features tour of world's largest stand-alone refinery, Al Khaleej

- Workshop on matters of force majeure, international trade agreement disputes, pricing methodology

LONDON and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Outlook, trader debates and refining updates will be center stage at the 11th annual Kingsman Dubai Sugar Conference, a renowned event in the world of sugar trading, to be held January 31(st) through February 3(rd), 2015.

"We're pleased to once again provide a platform and venue for critical debate of the sugar market's immediate and longer-term outlook," said Daniel Lawson, head of European conference production at Platts, a leading global provider of agriculture, energy, petrochemicals and metals information and host of the event.

More than 30 speakers, representing producers, importers, investment bankers, shipping companies, traders, analysts and associations will offer views on sugar production by country, regional and global trade agreements, competition in ethanol, what's ahead to 2020, and market pricing.

"While the sugar market appears relatively balanced, it's this balance that observers suggest could make the market in 2015 more reactive to any disruptions in supply or demand," said Tim Worledge, Platts global associate editorial director of agriculture.

In addition to weather in Brazil, supply and demand surprises could spring from such factors as how aggressively countries divert sucrose to ethanol, the degree of enforcement of China's out-of-quota import caps, any change to the profitability of carrying sugar, and any improvement in Brazil's mill indebtedness, according to the January 2, 2015, Platts' Kingsman Friday Sugar Editorial.

"Finally, Brazil's government is taking steps to help the domestic sugar cane industry; steps, which combined, should increase demand for ethanol and may mean a reduction in sugar supply," said Jonathan Kingsman, consultant to Platts and founder of Kingsman. "First, it has raised taxes on gasoline and Petrobras has said that despite the fall in world oil prices it will pass on the increase to domestic motorists. Second, the government is expected on 2(nd) February to announce an increase in the ethanol content of gasoline from 25% to 27%. At the same time, sugar growers in other parts of the world finally seem to be getting the price signals to reduce production. All this may make 2015 a pivotal, critical year for the global sugar industry."

The three-day event of keynote addresses, outlook presentations, trader debates and networking receptions will this year include two new features:

    --  The "Sugar Learning Curve" Workshop - which offers education on sugar
        pricing methodology, international sugar trade and dispute resolution
        and dealing with matters of force majeure
    --  A tour of the world's largest stand-alone refinery Al Khaleej, host
        sponsor of the Conference.

For Al Khaleej Sugar, the 2015 Platts' Kingsman Sugar Conference is of particular significance, coming after the company's recent purchase of the world's biggest marine sugar vessel.

"We're pleased to note the ship has unloaded 106,000 tons of raw sugar to be stored in the Al Khaleej store silos and dome," said Jamal Al Ghurair, Al Khaleej Sugar managing director. "We've expanded our storage capacity to 1.4 million tons of sugar and we look forward to meeting with attendees of the Platts' Kingsman Sugar Conference and giving them a tour of our refinery."

Based in Jebel Ali, near Dubai, Al Khaleej Sugar refinery is the largest stand-alone sugar refinery the world, with current production capacity of approximately 7,000 tons of refined white sugar per day. Al Khaleej Sugar's products are regularly exported to more than 40 countries, including the regional countries in the Arabian Gulf Region.

The full agenda and additional speaker information , as well as industry registration is available via the Platts website. Accredited media may register via Media Registration for Dubai Kingsman Conference.

In addition to news, information, data and analysis, Platts is a top provider of benchmark price assessments. Platts acquired Kingsman, a provider of price information and analytics for the global sugar and biofuels markets, in 2012.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the biofuels, carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, shipping and sugar markets. A division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), Platts is based in London with more than 1000 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial:

McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL and J.D. Power. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE: Platts