OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus exported USD 280.9 million worth of sugar in January-October 2013, up 9.2% year on year, while in physical terms sugar exports grew 14% to 449,600 tonnes, a source in the profile ministry told.

The increase in sugar exports reflects a rise in the physical volume of exports, while sugar prices were on the decline. The average export price of Belarus' sugar stood at USD 624 per tonne in Jan-Oct 2013 to compare with USD 649 per tonne in Jan-Oct 2012.

As previously reported, Belarus exported 449,000 tonnes of sugar worth USD 290 million in 2012, and 396,200 tonnes of sugar worth USD 318.7 million in 2011. The average annual export price of Belarus' sugar stood at USD 641 per tonne in 2012 to compare with USD 804 per tonne in 2011.

There are four sugar plants in Belarus (based Gorodeya, Zhabinka, Skidel, Slootsk), which process 28,000 tonnes of sugar beet a day. The sugar capacity of Belarus' home market totals 350,000 tonnes, while the rest is exported to foreign states, mostly Russia and Ukraine.

Belarus is currently looking for an investor to build a fifth sugar plant in Mogilev Region.

Belarus is expected to produce 720,000 tonnes of white sugar in 2015.