Press releases

21.01.10

Campaign 2009/10

Exceptional year in Northern Germany with excellent results

Braunschweig, 21 January 2010

Nordzucker AG’s 2009/10 sugar beet campaign ended with excellent results in North and East Germany on 20 January 2010. Around 8.5 million tonnes of beet were processed in the five German factories over the 128 days of the campaign.

“It was an exceptional campaign marked by high harvest yields and unusually high sugar concentrations even at the beginning of the harvest,” says Dr. Michael Gauß, Managing Director Central Europe. “Harvesting went very smoothly. The outstanding quality of the beet also allowed processing in the sugar factories to run without problems.” Although the weather conditions in the final weeks of the campaign, with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, complicated delivery of the beet to the factories, there were never any hold-ups. “The transport associations and beet logistics worked together excellently despite the very difficult conditions,” emphasises the managing director.

The average sugar yield per hectare in this extraordinary year was over twelve tonnes (previous year 11.3). “This not only highlights the good growing conditions, but also the fruits of the intense professionalisation of our farmers, as well as our focussed cultivation advice, whose recommendations are tailor-made for each individual plot,” adds Dr. Gauß. “Our factories operated for record-breaking periods of 126 to 130 days. This is particularly efficient.” Peak yields of over 90 tonnes beet per hectare were achieved in some parts of southern Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein in particular – giving sugar yields of around 16 tonnes sugar per hectare.

The supply of raw juice to the bioethanol plant run by fuel 21 GmbH & Co. KG was started on schedule at the Klein Wanzleben factory. fuel 21 is operating flat out to produce bioethanol from the renewable raw material sugar beet. The supply of raw juice runs in parallel to the production and storage of thick juice in Klein Wanzleben and Nordstemmen to maintain supplies to the bioethanol plant throughout the year. The thick juice storage operation is the reason for the second thick juice campaign that starts in early 2010 in the Nordstemmen factory. The enlarged evaporation plant was commissioned on schedule in Uelzen, and helps minimise primary energy consumption.

“We are very satisfied with the results of this campaign. In addition to completely fulfilling our quota, we are also able to supply our customers with sugar of the finest quality,” sums up Dr. Gauß.

 

The Nordzucker Group, with its headquarters in Braunschweig/Germany, is Europe’s second biggest sugar producer, with a market share of 15.4 per cent. The company also produces other products, in particular, bioethanol and animal feed from sugar beet. The acquisition of Nordic Sugar (previously Danisco Sugar) in March 2009 strengthened this leading position further. With 17 sugar factories in eight countries across Europe, as well as two refineries for raw cane sugar, Nordzucker boasts an efficient technical, distribution and geographical structure - the platform for more success in future. On the basis of sugar production of around 1.7 million tonnes, Nordzucker generated sales of around Euro 1.2 billion in the 2008/09 financial year (excluding Nordic Sugar). The Group-wide workforce of nearly 5000 is committed to deliver excellent products and services.

Press release as PDF

If you have any questions please contact Mrs Tanja Schneider-Diehl:
Fon: +49 531 2411-314
Mail: tanja.schneider-diehl@nordzucker.de

---