Russian sugar production from 2017 beet harvest could fall to 5.8 mln tonnes - Union
MOSCOW. March 16 (Interfax) - The production of sugar from the 2017 sugar beet harvest could fall to 5.8 million tonnes from 6.15 million tonnes produced from the 2016 harvest.
The forecast was made by Russian Sugar Union CEO Andrei Bodin to journalists on the sidelines of the CIS Sugar Market 2017 conference in Moscow.
He said that from August to December 2016, Russia exported 120,000 tonnes of sugar. The main customers were Kazakhstan with 45,680 tonnes and Tajikistan with 25,700 tonnes. Russian sugar was also sold to Azerbaijan with 7,900 tonnes, Afghanistan - 3,100 tonnes and Turkmenistan - 1,760 tonnes.
Exports for the whole farming year, until September 2017, are estimated at 550,000 tonnes.
Russian demand for sugar is 5.6 million tonnes. There is a surplus of sugar due to record production of beet sugar and 259,000 tonnes of sugar produced from imported raw sugar. "If it's more, then it could be a problem, because capital is needed for sowing," he said, adding that "to sell [sugar] today [unfavorably]: higher offer, but lower price."
