REUTERS
Ukrainian sugar producers have shipped 751,000 tonnes of sugar abroad since the beginning of the 2016/2017 marketing year (September 2016 through August 2017), which was six times up on the 2015/2016 marketing year, according to the press service of the Ukrtsukor sugar producers' association.
"Although the marketing year is not over yet, domestic sugar producers have already boosted shipments abroad by almost six times year-over-year (132,200 tonnes in MY 2015/2016), and this is producers' big victory as they've managed to enter absolutely new markets and sold their produce around the globe," the press service quoted head of the association's analytical department Ruslana Butylo as saying.
Exports in July alone totaled 13,300 tonnes of sugar. Major destinations were Tajikistan (4,300 tonnes), Azerbaijan (2,800 tonnes), Kyrgyzstan (2,500 tonnes), and Georgia (2,000 tonnes).
Read alsoEU quotas for Ukrainian wheat, sugar, chicken meat, honey used by 100%The expert forecasts that further sugar supplies are unlikely to be significant, as prices on global markets remain low and producers are actively getting ready for an upcoming season.
Sugar production in the 2017/2018 marketing year is expected to remain unchanged, being projected at about 2 million tonnes while domestic consumption is estimated at 1.5 million tonnes of sugar.
Ukraine has sown 318,000 hectares with sugar beets this year.
Read alsoUkrainian sugar exports skyrocket by 33 times in 2016As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry reported that during the previous sugar production season which started on August 20, 2016, and ended on January 11, 2017, the country exported 344,000 tonnes of sugar, which was 33 times up year-over-year.