By turning on the lime furnace in "Bačka" sugar mill from Vrbas, “Sunoko“, the largest domestic sugar producer and exporter, has officially launched this year’s campaign of sugar beet processing today.

More than 200,000 tons of sugar will be produced and 1,500,000 tons of sugar beet from nearly 28,000 hectares processed in the campaign, which will last 111 days. Around 700 workers will be engaged in sugar production activities.

Agricultural experts from "Sunoko" have underlined that this year’s sugar beet yield is good - around 53 tons per hectare on average - and that results in the sugar beet production are improving from year to year. In this year’s campaign, sugar beet will be processed in three "Sunoko" mills, located in Vrbas, Pećinci and Kovačica.

In 20011, Sunoko planted sugar beet at 26,300 hectares, including 11,800 hectares for the sugar mill in Vrbas, 7,800 for the one in Pećinci, and 7,200 hectares for the sugar mill in Kovačica. Compared to 246,569 tons of sugar produced in 2010, more than 200,000 tons are planned in 2011, when around 18,600 tons of sugar beet will be processed per day. Last year, Sunoko produced sugar in the volume which satisfies 100% of needs of the Serbian market and is sufficient for the export quota.

Sunoko plans to invest EUR14 million in the expansion of production capacities of its three sugar mills in Vrbas, Kovačica and Pećinci in 2011. The largest investment is planned in Kovačica, where the capacity of sugar beet cutting is being increased and coal boilers are being installed. Such an investment was executed in the sugar mill in Pećinci in 2010.

The annual sugar production in Serbia is around 450,000 to 500,000 tons, and the export quota of Serbia for the EU is 180,000 tons.