Ukraine sugar producer Astarta completes 2022 sugar sowing

　　div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpKYIV Reuters – Ukraines major white sugar producer, Astarta, has completed sowing at 33,000 hectares, almost the same acreage as it sowed in 2021, the company said on Monday.p

　　pIn 2021, Astarta sowed 33,500 hectares for sugar beet, or almost 15 of the countrys overall beet sowing area.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

　　p“We are convinced that we should not reduce agricultural production during the war, on the contrary, its current scale must be preserved,” the company quoted Vadym Skrypnyk, director for agricultural production and storage, as saying.p

　　pThe company said it also sowed 38,000 hectares of corn, 40,000 hectares of soybeans, 55,000 hectares of winter wheat, 30,000 hectares of sunflower and some acreage of other crops.p

　　pAstarta produced 266,000 tonnes of white sugar from its 2021 harvest, processing 1.8 million tonnes of sugar beet. p

　　pThat was up from 2020 when it harvested about 1.5 million tonnes of sugar beet and refined 226,000 tonnes of white sugar for a market share of 22.p

　　pThe agriculture ministry said last week farmers had sown 181,400 hectares of sugar beet as of May 12 compared with 224,700 hectares at the same date in 2021.p

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　　pp Reporting by Pavel Polityuk editing by Jason Neelyp

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