EGYPT: Sugar production up at 2 million tonnes
Published: 08/30/2010, 7:35:19 AM
Egypt's cane and beet sugar production grew 24% annually to a combined two million tonnes this year achieving a self-sufficiency rate of about 80% compared with 71% in the previous crop, according to Dow Jones.
The country's sugar production consumption gap has declined to 709,000 tonnes currently from one million tonnes in the previous year as Egypt's annual sugar consumption is estimated at 2.7 million tonnes, the government report said according to the Al Watan newspaper, adding that the gap is filled by imports.
Egypt holds the world's first position in terms of sugarcane productivity which is at 50 tonnes per feddan (1 feddan equals 1.038 acres), the daily says citing the report.