The Danish food ingredients company Danisco took its second field samples of beets on September 3 in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Lithuania; and according to the results, the company expects an overall production well above the quotas specified by the EU, but lower than the record production of recent years. With the currently favourable weather conditions continuing during the rest of the growing period, there is potential for a total sugar production in 2001 well above the quotas specified by the EU for Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland of 1,060,500 tons in total, but lower than record production of recent years. Production reached approximately 1,202,000 tons in 1998, 1,294,000 tons in 1999: approx 1,294,000 tons, and 1,240,000 tons in 2000. In Denmark, under normal growth conditions, it is expected that the year's acreage yield will be at least that of a normal year and that production will be somewhat higher than the EU quota of 420,700 tons. In Sweden, Danisco expects that the year's sugar production will be well above the EU quota of 368,300 tons. In Germany, it is expected that production will also exceed the EU quota of 125,400 tons. In Finland, the potential for this year's sugar production is on a par with the EU quota of 146,100 tons. In Lithuania, production is expected to be on a par with or slightly higher than the factory's sugar quota of 90,000 tonnes in total.Source: Danisco A/S
