The company Sunoko, a member of the MK Group, has already started a sugar beet processing campaign. This year, more than 1.9 million tons of sugar beet will be processed in all three processing centers of Sunoko, which will result in the production of about 275,000 tons of sugar. The furnaces in the sugar factories in Pećinci and Kovačica were lit last week, while the furnaces in Vrbas are expected to be lit this week.
„Despite the record high temperatures and prolonged drought, Sunoko plans to produce close to 275,000 tons of sugar this year as well. This quantity meets the needs of the domestic market for sugar, and also allows us to export. Our strategic plans remain focused on increasing placement on the CEFTA and EU markets, but to strengthen the position of net exporter of sugar, high yields and quality in sugar beet production are necessary, which is questioned in dry years like this one. Compared to other field crops, we expect the least reduction in yields for sugar beet, but investment in irrigation systems is definitely a priority and makes a big difference in the income per hectare that agricultural producers can achieve. Irrigation is a strategic topic for the development of Serbian agriculture, especially taking into account the consequences of climate change,” said Slobodan Košutić, Director General of Sunoko.
This year, sugar beet was sown on about 47,500 hectares in Serbia, and Sunoko’s sugar mills will process the raw material from about 33,400 hectares. Agricultural producers of sugar beet faced many challenges this year, primarily due to extremely unfavorable climatic conditions, which were especially favorable for leaf diseases.
This year’s sugar beet processing campaign started earlier than in previous years due to long dry periods, which resulted in significant leaf shedding and drying of sugar beet roots. Sunoko and its Research and Development Center continuously provide professional help and support to its partners, in order to process as much sugar beet as possible and save it from spoilage. As a reminder, Sunoko provides the best contracting conditions for sugar beet production to its subcontractors, and the contracting conditions for 2025 will be announced in September.
