Ukraine in 2019 exported 236,800 tonnes of sugar, which is almost 2.5 times less than in the same period last year, the Ukrtsukor National Association of Sugar Producers has reported. “This year was not very favorable for Ukrainian sugar producers, and compared with the past year, we can see that exports have completely dipped: if earlier exports over the month reached 40,000-60,000 tonnes, then during the last six months, on average, we exported about 5,000 tonnes of sugar per month,” Ruslana Yanenko, the deputy chairman of the board of Ukrtsukor, said.
First of all, the expert associates this with the world surplus, which “pressed” the market and prices. In addition, according to Yanenko, Ukraine was gradually losing the markets of Africa and Asia, which once occupied the leading positions in the import of Ukrainian sugar, through growing competition from Russia and the EU.
“Next year, significant changes in the export perspective will not happen, as unfavorable world prices will continue to affect the decrease in raw materials and the reduction in sugar production, and competition in the markets that were most profitable for Ukrainian producers will intensify,” she said.
In addition, the association noted that in December 2019 some 6,900 tonnes of sugar were exported. Thus, in total for the four months of the current 2019/2020 marketing year (MY, September-August), 21,800 tonnes of sugar were delivered to foreign markets. This is almost 10 times less than in the same period of the last MY.
