Ukraine in the 2018 calendar year exported 586,500 tonnes of sugar (2% less from 2017) for $217.09 million, the Ukrtsukor National Association of Sugar Producers has reported. “If to compare with the previous year, the export volume has not changed much, but its geography has changed. If last year the largest buyer of Ukrainian sugar was Sri Lanka (69,030 tonnes), then in 2018 it was Uzbekistan (285,300 tonnes.) They are followed by Azerbaijan and Libya with 44,700 tonnes and 43,800 tonnes respectively,” Ruslana Butylo, the deputy chairperson of the board of Ukrtsukor, said.
At the same time, according to the association, sugar exports for the four months of the current marketing year (September 2018 – August 2019) grew by 14.3%, to 198,900 tonnes. “Taking into account the market situation and still a surplus year, even despite the decrease in forecasts for sugar production in India, Ukrainian producers will have to work to improve product quality and establish long-term contracts,” she said.
In the 2017 calendar year, Ukraine exported 598,700 tonnes of sugar for $279.9 million.