Agrana Completes Beet, Potato and Wet Corn Campaigns

In total, around 803,000 tonnes (prior year: 747,000) of sugar were processed from 5.4 million (prior year: 5.1 million) tonnes of sugar beet. The average yield per hectare, based on a total planted area of 86,150 hectares, was 63.1 tonnes, equivalent to 1.6 tonnes more than in the prior year.

1/21/2011 --- On 19 January, Agrana completed the sugar beet campaign at the sugar processing plant in Tulln|Lower Austria and, therefore, the 2010|2011 processing season at all of its facilities.

The 2010|2011 sugar beet campaigns of Agrana have been successfully concluded at the seven sugar beet processing plants in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and, on 17 and 19 January respectively, at the sugar processing plants in Tulln and Leopoldsdorf, both in Lower Austria. The average duration of the campaigns amounted to 114 days.

In total, around 803,000 tonnes (prior year: 747,000) of sugar were processed from 5.4 million (prior year: 5.1 million) tonnes of sugar beet. The average yield per hectare, based on a total planted area of 86,150 hectares, was 63.1 tonnes, equivalent to 1.6 tonnes more than in the prior year. In Austria, the hectare yield was 69.8 (prior year: 70.2) tonnes. As a result of the excellent beet quality and the cool weather conditions during the harvesting and campaign periods, particularly in Austria, the average sugar content was 16.5% (prior year: 16.3%), and as high as 17.2% (prior year: 16.1%) in Austria.

The planting of organic sugar beet increased again in 2010 to around 700 hectares. A total of 4,072 (prior year: 2,916) tonnes of organic sugar were processed from 30,800 (prior year: 23,111) tonnes of beet grown under organic conditions. This organic sugar will be sold to the retail sector and food processing industry under the Wiener Zucker brand.

In the period from 30 August to 21 December, a total of 186,300 (prior year: 187,400) tonnes of starch and organic starch potatoes were accepted for processing at the potato starch mill in Gmünd|Lower Austria. The starch content, at 18.5%, was also the same as in the previous year, as a result of which 40,100 tonnes of potato starch were again produced. 

In addition, the autumn deliveries also included 8,500 (prior year: 8,000) tonnes of food-grade potatoes, as well as 3,000 (prior year: 3,100) tonnes of organic food-grade potatoes which were processed to make long-life potato products such as potato puree and dough products. Furthermore, around 2,600 tonnes of food-grade potatoes grown under controlled organic conditions were also accepted for use in the production of potato products for baby food.

In the period from 5 September to 11 December 2010, at total of 112,000 (prior year: 101,000) tonnes of freshly harvested corn, so-called wet corn, were processed at the corn starch mill in Aschach|Upper Austria. This was followed by a switch back to dry corn as the raw material.

At the bioethanol plant in Pischelsdorf|Lower Austria, between 14 September and 20 December 2010, a total of 60,000 tonnes of wet corn as well as wheat were used in production. This compares with a volume of 12,000 tonnes in the prior year under experimental conditions. A total of 200,000 (prior year: 197,000) tonnes were processed in the wet corn campaign at the isoglucose and bioethanol plant in Szabadegyhaza|Hungary.

The campaigns at the fruit juice concentrate plants of Agrana Juice Holding GmbH came to a close in mid November. As a result of poor fruit harvests in the main growing countries of Poland and Hungary, the volumes of apples and berries processed were well below those in both of the preceding years.