JAKARTA: Indonesia is expected to import 200,000 tonnes of white sugar this year and shipments could double to 400,000 tonnes in 2017 due to a production decline, the Indonesian Sugar Association said on Wednesday. 

"Production in 2016 will definitely decline, imports must be larger. There is no option but to import," Tito Pranolo, the association chairman, told reporters, adding that he expected a supply shortage by February 2017. 

White sugar production in 2016 is seen down 8 percent from a year earlier.