On a total crop area of about 83,550 hectares (prior year: 71,750 hectares), in the 2009|10 financial year about 5.08 million tonnes (prior year: 4.71 million tonnes) of sugar beet were harvested for the AGRANA Group and processed. Variable weather conditions during the growing season and harvest led to good yields, but to a lower-than-usual sugar content in the crop. The approximately 8,520 beet growers (prior year: 8,650) achieved beet yields averaging about 60.8 tonnes per hectare (prior year: 65.5 tonnes) and an average sugar content of 16.3% (prior year: 17.1%).
The seven beet-using factories processed a combined daily average of approximately 46,000 tonnes of beet (prior year: 46,500 tonnes) over an average of 113 days (prior year: 105 days) into about 747,000 tonnes of sugar (prior year: 720,000 tonnes). Sugar production significantly exceeded the AGRANA beet sugar quota of 618,000 tonnes. The quantities in excess of the quota are marketed as non-quota sugar to the chemical industry or exported to the world market. In addition, in Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, about 176,000 tonnes of white sugar (prior year: 183,000 tonnes) were refined from raw sugar in the 2009|10 financial year.
In most countries, beet processing began between 16 and 24 September 2009. The Austrian plant in Tulln, as a result of the large volume of beet, had the longest sugar campaign in the Group, completing the beet processing on 25 January 2010. In the concluded campaign, about 42% of the primary energy needs in Hungary were met from the biogas produced on-site. AGRANA boosted the production of organic beet sugar from certified organic beet to 2,900 tonnes (prior year: 1,800 tonnes) in the 2009|10 financial year.
In light of the changed market conditions, AGRANA was able to conclude new agreements with the umbrella organisation of Austrian sugar beet farmers (“Die Rübenbauern”) and the local farmers’ representatives in the other countries for beet cultivation in 2010.