OREANDA-NEWS. October 10, 2008. Ukrainian sugar plants produced 171,000 tons of sugar from the 2008 sugar beet harvest, which is 2.2 times down year-over-year, according to the National Association of Sugar Producers, UkrTsukor.

The plants processed 1.56 million tons out of 2.85 million tons of sugar beets.

A total of 52 sugar plants are currently operating in Ukraine.

Experts motivate the low pace of sugar refining in 2008 due to the late sowing of sugar beets and because of unfavorable weather conditions.

The Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry expects this year's production of sugar from sugar beets in the amount of over 1.6 million tons, compared to 1.86 million tons produced from last year's sugar beet harvest. Sugar remaining from the 2007 harvest exceeded 930,000 tons by September 1.