Bitter sugar-producing business in Romania

“We’re the only country in the whole Europe that doesn’t want to produce sugar.” This is the conclusion drawn by the investors in the sugar industry. A market appraised at some $150 million a year, with imports (of white refined sugar or of raw sugar processed by the factories in Romania) making up for about 80% of it, has been expecting measures to protect the local producers from the imported products competition for several months. The domestic factories have been experiencing a streak of losses for several years now, precisely because of the cheaper sugar imports. The foreign investors have already announced plans to leave the Romanian market unless the Government enacts the measures already agreed and endorsed by the Prime Minister in order to protect the domestic industry. “Since 1998 when it entered the market, Agrana has had nothing but losses except for 2000 when one of its three factories actually made profit, albeit small,” said Ion Manciu, member of Agrana Romania Board. Austria-based Agrana holds sugar factories in tandarei, Roman and Buzau. “The shareholders are even considering the possibility to withdraw from the Romanian market,” he added. ZF