The beet price of € 41.31 per tonne excluding VAT is payable in respect of quota beet with average extractability and average sugar content. The average price paid per tonne of beet from the 2006 campaign had been € 49.05.

 

The beet price for 2007 is more than € 7 per tonne lower than that for the previous year on account of changes in the EU sugar market organisation. The price for 2006 had been underpinned by a higher EU intervention price for quota beet and had benefited from the repayment of EU production levies; production levies were payable again in 2007. The average sugar content was markedly higher in 2007 than in the previous year (17.4% versus 16.4%), which resulted in a higher content-based payment.

 

A distribution will also be paid in respect of beet delivered on old shares of € 6.00 per tonne. This distribution is based on the results of the non-sugar activities. In 2006, these results had been incorporated in the beet price.

 

The price for surplus beet with average sugar content and average extractability has been set at € 21.17 per tonne. Last year, the average price for surplus beet had been € 19.38 per tonne.

 

The table below shows the harvest and sugar production figures for 2007 in comparison with 2006. The sharp increase in volumes is due to the acquisition of CSM Sugar.

	2007	2006
Total beet production	5,266,000 tonnes	3,468,000 tonnes
Total sugar production	853,000 tonnes	537,000 tonnes
of which quota sugar	806,000 tonnes	515,000 tonnes