Belarusian Sugar Import to Russia Still Halted :: Charter'97 :: News

“There are no changes in the problem of Belarusian sugar into Russia,” BelaPAN news agency was informed by Belarusian state food industry concern. As we have informed, last week the concern head Ihar Danchanka told at a press conference that since December 29 supplies of Belarusian sugar through the warehouse of the limited liability company “Sakhar” of the Russian union of sugar manufacturers has been suspended. He noted that losses only through idle time make about $2 million.

Belarusian sugar company has contracts for supplying 350 thousand tons of sugar to Russian regions. However it is impossible to complete them because of limitations imposed by Federal customs service. As said by the concern representatives, deliveries of Belarusian sugar to Russian regions do not cause losses to Russian sugar manufacturers. Annual sugar demand in Russia is 6 million tons. 2.8 million tons are manufactured from beet root, and the rest is imported. Import is 600 thousand tins a year. The Belarusian side offers to export about 350,000 tons of sugar. In recent talks the Russian side offered to decrease the deliveries to 100,000 tons.

However, I. Danchanka expressed a hope that a compromise would be stricken in intergovernmental talks and Belarusian sugar deliveries to Russian market resumed.

Belarusian railway company sustains losses because of sugar cars’ idle time. The losses are 1.3 billion rubles over the two last months.