Sunoko, a member of the MK Group, traditionally organized Sugar Beet Field Days this year, which were held for the first time in three different locations – in Vrbas, Kovačica and Ljukovo near Inđija. Sunoko representatives hosted agricultural producers, with whom they discussed new technologies and digitization in agriculture and presented the latest trends in sugar beet production. This year, too, the company devoted special attention to research and the transfer of knowledge to farmers, in order to make the yields on their fields as high as possible and to ensure sustainable and profitable production.
„Sugar beet has proven to be the most stable field crop over the past years, thanks to our continuous investments and the good cooperation we foster with agricultural producers. The excellent price of sugar beet compared to other field crops, as well as the possibility of advance financing of production through quality raw materials and financial incentives, contributed to the continuation of the trend of growth of sugar beet production by about 14% in 2024. Serbia has great potential when we talk about sugar production, especially when it comes to increasing exports, and we should take advantage of that opportunity on the European continent,” said Slobodan Košutić, Director of the Sunoko company.
In Serbia, sugar beet was sown on over 48,000 hectares this year, and most of the areas were sown in the last decade of March. Despite changing weather conditions, drought in the second part of sowing, later cooling, frequent and strong winds, this year’s crops have a good structure and are in enviable condition, which is an important prerequisite for achieving good yields.
„Our Research and Development Center continuously works on adapting production technology to the challenges caused by climate change and the requirements of the European Union’s green agenda. At the Sugar Beet Field Days, we presented the latest technologies in leaf disease protection, as well as pest protection measures, which become more and more challenging if we take into account the reduction in the number of permitted active substances for use in agricultural production. This year, we will also introduce an electronic dispatch note system in the entire raw material area, with which we want to digitize our business processes in order to increase efficiency and reduce the impact on the environment”, concluded Košutić.
Such events, organized by the Sunoko company, a long-time leader in sugar production in the region, are one of the ways that the latest trends and technologies in sugar beet production find their way to practical application and enable producers to get better yields. With its three sugar mills, Sunoko still holds the title of the most efficient producer in Southeast Europe, and despite all the challenges in this industry, it guarantees a stable supply of sugar to the domestic market.
