Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Taras Kutoviy announces Ukrainian enterprises exported 344,000 tonnes of sugar during the sugar refining season from August 20, 2016, to January 11, 2017, having boosted shipments abroad by 33 times year-over-year.
”Ukraine has increased sugar exports by 33 times, to 344,000 tonnes. The result is due to consistent and coordinated work of the entire production chain: from sugar beet producers to processing companies,” the ministry`s press service said in a statement.
The quality of sugar beets was also high: the yield per hectare produced 6.9 tonnes of sugar, which was three times up compared to 2010. Further, the gross harvest of sugar beets was 13.2 million tonnes from 290,000 hectares area, while the same amount of raw sugar was gathered from an area of 747,000 hectares in 2000.
”In 2016, the area under sugar beets expanded by 25% compared with the previous year, production of sugar beets rose by 30%, and sugar production grew by 40%. Such dynamics are impressive,” the press service quoted Kutoviy as saying.
According to the report, Ukraine may boost sugar exports to about 1 million tonnes in 2017.
”The industry has very ambitious plans to export 1 million tonnes of sugar this year. It is very good when desired and ambitious goals are achieved,” the minister said.
Earlier, Ukrainian enterprises in the 2016-2017 marketing year, or MY, (September 2016 – August 2017) will export over 500,000 tonnes of sugar which is 4.4 times up year-over-year, according to the forecasts of the Ukrtsukor national association of sugar producers. It is also a record for the whole period of the country`s independence. In 2015-2016 MY, farmers shipped 113,000 tonnes of sugar abroad.
In 2016, Ukraine exported a record amount of sugar – 465,900 tonnes, according to Ukraine`s Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.
On January 11, Ukrainian plants completed sugar refining season, which started on August 20, 2016. During this time, they processed 13.7 million tonnes of sugar beets and produced 2.01 million tonnes of sugar, although the domestic market demand for 2017 was estimated at 1.54 million tonnes of sugar, according to Ukrtsukor. Some 42 sugar refineries were in operation in Ukraine during the sugar refining season.
In 2016, farmers increased the area under sugar beets to 284,000 hectares against 239,000 hectares in 2015.
