The planting of sugar beet has commenced, and Sunoko, a member of MK Group, will continue to provide support to its partners and agricultural producers. For this year’s processing, approximately 23,000 hectares of this crop will be planted in Sunoko’s sugar factories. Sunoko has traditionally provided its partners with quality seeds, pesticides, and nitrogen fertilizer (AN). In addition to production materials, the company has secured cash advances for its producers to kickstart production, amounting to 300 euros per hectare, while this year’s price for sugar beet will be 45 euros per ton for a 16% sugar content.
“On the fields where full agronomic practices and protection measures recommended by our Research and Development Center were applied during the previous season, exceptional results were achieved, demonstrating that we have the technology to cope with extreme drought conditions like those experienced last year. After a winter marked by a lack of precipitation, the current rainy weather will contribute to improving conditions for planting and sugar beet production this season. Our focus in the coming period must be on the timely application of full production technology to ensure increased productivity and stable sugar beet production. Our country has great potential in sugar production, and I believe this is an opportunity we can leverage for greater exports to European countries,” said Slobodan Košutić, General Director of Sunoko.
The production expected this year will fully meet domestic sugar needs while also leaving room for export growth. Serbia is the only country in the Balkans that is completely self-sufficient in sugar production, thanks to the efforts of Sunoko, with the potential for further development as a net exporter.
