Currently, 30-40% of sugar factories in Ukraine have switched to the use of alternative fuel sources: coal, pellets, fuel oil, peat, industry association Ukrtsukor reported.
“The cost of gas has not increased this year. In previous years, the price of blue fuel was quite high. Our Association has repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Energy with a request to provide benefits for gas. Due to the lack of privileges at high prices for blue fuel, the cost of sugar was growing. As a result, some sugar factories carried out certain modernization before the full-scale war and switched to other types of fuel,” the press service of the association quoted acting chairman of the board of Ukrtsukra Nazar Mykhailovin as saying.
According to his information, some plants have been working on alternative fuel, such as peat or fuel oil, since their launch.
“There are those working on pellets and in parallel burning pulp, which is the second raw material of sugar beet processing,” Mikhailovin specified.
As reported, sugar exports in 2022 reached 3% of all agricultural exports of Ukraine. In 2023-2024 marketing year it is expected to reach 650 thousand tons.
