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RUSSIA
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, on 27 September 2017, sugar beet was harvested in Russia from an area of 449,3 thousand hectares or 38,2% of crop acreage (in 2016 – 365,6 thousand hectares).
According to Soyuzrossahar, on September 26, 2017, total 429.2 thousand hectares (35.8% of the crop acreage) were harvested with an average yield of 41.8 MT/ha. In 2016, on same day, total 357.2 thousand hectares were cleaned.
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Russian consumer sugar prices fell by 2.3% from September 19 to September 25, 2017; from the beginning of the year - by 9.6%, according to Rosstat.
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According to the data by Soyuzrossahar, on September 28, 2017, total volume 14.2 million tons of sugar beet was received from the beginning of production season and about 1.7 million tons of beet sugar was produced (in 2016 – 1.5 million tons).
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According to Sugar.ru price monitoring data for the period from 21.09.2017 to 28.09.2017 the US dollar rate dropped by -0,2% (on 21.09 - RUR 58,13/$, on 28.09 - RUR 58,01/$). Ruble Moscow wholesale price for sugar increased by 2,20 RUR/kg (+8,53%), Krasnodar wholesale price increased by 0,30 RUR/kg (+1,17%). US dollar Moscow wholesale price for sugar increased by $0,039 /kg (+8,78%), Krasnodar wholesale price increased by $0,006 /kg (+1,36%).
A small price growth over the past week does not yet allow us to judge the numerous promises of the Ministry of Agriculture to increase the export of sugar this season have become a success. The basic prices of sugar from producers were concentrated in the range of 26-27 rubles per kilogram. A number of companies offer discounts down to a price of 25 rubles per kilogram, however this discount is given either for limited lots or for deliveries by rail with a monthly delay, or even more. In the coming days, the last factories of the Russian Federation will be included in the processing of beets. Any new factors contributing to a significant increase or fall in prices have not yet been observed.
Along with the low price, sugar exports are growing, almost 20 thousand tons were supplied by rail for 27 days of September (32 000 MT from the beginning of the season, compared to 26.2 thousand tons in the first two months of previous season). At the governmental level the idea of exporting sugar to Uzbekistan, where local import duties and excise duties on sugar and raw sugar have been lifted recently, is lobbied actively. Until the current season, Uzbekistan has met its sugar demand by processing of raw sugar at two plants: Angren-Shakar and Khorezm-Shakar. In the 2015/16 season they received 503 thousand tons of raw sugar, last season - 440 thousand tons, for two months of 2017 – 132 thousand tons. However, now there is no economic sense to supply raw sugar there. What or who has pushed Uzbekistan to zero duties, thus, putting own factories in a disadvantageous situation, whether it is the Russian lobby, or share-out of these plants, is unclear. However, if Uzbekistan plans to continue to operate sugar factories, it will have to limit the import of white sugar, having many ways to do so in a highly regulated and controlled local economy, for example, introducing limits for conversion of UzSoms to US dollars.
KAZAKHSTAN
About 180 thousand tons of sugar beet is planned to collect in the Zhambyl region this year as well as to produce 18 thousand tons of sugar after processing the volume. In order to achieve this, Merken Sugar Factory has been resuscitated with an investment of 1 billion KazTenge, the regional akimat (administration) reports.
BELARUS
As of September 28, 2017, total 28.5 thousand hectares of sugar beet were harvested or 29.1% of the area due. Bulk harvest makes 1 277.5 thousand tons of sugar beet (in 2016 – 1 279.7 thousand MT). The volume of sugar beet processed makes 845.3 thousand tons with 105.5 thousand tons of refined sugar produced.
КОММЕНТАРИИ