But Florida will still be the nation's top producer of sugar from cane, according to federal forecasts released Friday.

South Florida's three sugar companies -- U.S. Sugar Corp. in Clewiston, Florida Crystals Corp. in West Palm Beach and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida in Belle Glade -- produce about one-fourth of the sugar produced nationwide.

The planted acreage will be 465,000, up from 445,000 a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

South Florida's cane sugar production for the 2001-02 season is projected at 2.01 million tons, slightly less than last year's 2.05 million tons, the USDA said.

Half the nation's sugar comes from sugar cane grown in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii. Total cane sugar production is forecast at 4.25 million tons for 2001-02.

Louisiana has 510,000 acres of cane planted this year, and will grow slightly more than that next season. But Florida's sugar production will continue to be higher, the USDA said.

Louisiana will produce about 1.82 million tons of sugar.

The remainder of the sugar produced in the United States is derived from sugar beets planted in 12 states, with that production predicted at 4.15 million tons for 2001-02.

Another first from the federal statistics: For the first time since the late 1980s, sugar produced from sugar cane is expected to surpass that produced from sugar beets. Beet acreage is down 13 percent from a year ago.