Sunoko beet planting in progress at Sunoko with agricultural producers

The company Sunoko, a member of MK Group, along with its partners, the agricultural producers, is well-prepared for this year’s sugar beet planting. Approximately 32,500 hectares will be sown for processing in three Sunoko sugar factories, with an expected yield of around 1.8 million tons of sugar beets.

As in previous years, the company has traditionally provided its partners with quality raw materials, as well as cash advances for the start of production amounting to 600 euros per hectare. This year’s price for sugar beets is set at 47 euros per ton for a 16% sugar content, with a bonus for seeds of 2 euros per ton and an additional bonus for farmers whose beets have above-average sugar content.

“Trends indicate that sugar beet will once again be the most profitable crop in agriculture this year. Sunoko and our Research and Development Center will continue to provide full support to farmers in order to achieve higher yields and better quality sugar beets. Our plan for this year is to produce 290,000 tons of sugar,” stated Slobodan Košutić, General Director of Sunoko, adding that this quantity fully meets domestic needs for this product while also leaving room for export growth.

“Our strategic plans and sales growth are focused on increasing the export of Sunoko sugar to the European Union and regional markets. Serbia has great potential when it comes to sugar production, and we should seize this opportunity for greater placement on the European continent. Therefore, it is important for all of us to work together to increase sugar beet yields on Serbian fields, and Sunoko is here to help by sharing expertise and the latest scientific knowledge with its partners,” Košutić said.

In 2023, sugar beet production in Serbia faced challenging conditions, but yields were achieved at the level of the five-year average. Thanks to Sunoko, Serbia is the only country in the Balkans that is self-sufficient in sugar production and has the potential to further develop as a net exporter of this product.