Ukraine forecasts sugar production to rise 27% in 2010
KYIV. Sept 17 (Interfax) - Ukraine expects sugar production to rise to 1.9 million tonnes in 2010, an increase of 26.7% over estimated production this year, according to the state program for socioeconomic development in 2010 drafted by the Cabinet and published on the web site of the Verkhovna Rada.
In the 2009-2010 marketing year (September-August) sugar offers on the domestic market will fall to 1.95 million tonnes from 1.99 million tonnes in the previous year.
Sugar imports in the current marketing year will total 250,000 tonnes, up from 121,000 tonnes in 2008-2009.
Sugar inventories on September 1, 2009 totaled 643,000 tonnes, compared with 938,000 tonnes a year earlier.
It was reported earlier that the Agricultural Policy Ministry forecasts the sugar beet harvest in 2009 at 12 million tonnes and production of sugar from beets at 1.5 million tonnes. In 2008 seventy sugar mills produced 1.574 million tonnes of sugar from beets.
The domestic sugar market is estimated to total 1.8 million-2 million tonnes a year.