Ukrainian sugar refineries as of September 28, 2010, had produced 262,000 tonnes of sugar from newly harvested sugar beets, which was 2.4 times up on the same date last year, the Ukrtsukor National Association of Sugar Producers has said.
Fifty-five sugar refineries are currently engaged in sugar production, whereas there were 31 operating sugar refineries on the same date last year, the association said.
The refineries have already received 3.5 million tonnes of newly harvested sugar beets and processed 2.5 million tonnes.
As reported, this year’s new sugar production season started earlier than last year because of the early harvesting of sugar beets.
Ukrtsukor previously forecast that the production of sugar from sugar beets in Ukraine in the new processing season might be 2.1 million tonnes, which is 66% up on 2009.
Ukraine produced 1.264 million tonnes of sugar from sugar beets harvested in 2009, against 1.574 million tonnes in 2008.
The capacity of Ukraine’s sugar market is estimated by experts at 1.8-2 million tonnes per year.
