Danisco's Sugar Production Meets Expectations

Danisco’s sugar factories in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Lithuania processed close to 7 million tonnes of sugar beet during the 2006/07 campaign, generating a production of 1,010,000 tonnes of sugar.

25/01/07 Danisco has said that the 2006 production campaign has just been completed with a satisfactory result. Danisco’s sugar factories in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Lithuania processed close to 7 million tonnes of sugar beet during the 2006/07 campaign, generating a production of 1,010,000 tonnes of sugar. The total production output is slightly above Danisco's total EU quota of 996,000 tonnes and therefore in line with the previously announced expectations.

The unseasonable weather conditions in 2006 affected the growth conditions of the sugar beet. The beets were sown later than usual and the very warm and dry summer resulted in a fairly low sugar content. In Sweden and Lithuania, a brief period of hard frost had a very negative effect on the sugar content. Extraordinarily heavy rainfalls in Sweden also had an impact on the beet harvest and consequently a negative effect on the production output. However, the warm autumn and winter weather in the rest of Northern Europe resulted in additional beet growth, which particularly in Denmark contributed to a production output in excess of Danisco’s national EU quota.

Executive Vice President Mogens Granborg commented, “We have reason to be satisfied with this year’s output and successful campaign. Parallel with the campaign we have implemented extensive restructuring measures in our sugar unit, which is now adjusted to the conditions provided under the new EU sugar market regime; however, in spite of this, our efficiency has remained high.

Having concentrated our sugar production, Danisco will going forward be producing sugar at seven production sites instead of previously ten.