Sugar beet price down
Sugar beet price down
WITH beet processing factories opening for business two weeks earlier this year, British Sugar has confirmed an interim A/B price of just £30.17 per adjusted tonne.
This is some £7.55 less than last year, due to a combination of green £ revaluations and disappointing returns from the depressed animal feed market.
Such has been the impact of the green £, that British Sugar is also reclaiming approximately £1.14/t from each contract tonne delivered last season, plus about 34p from the average transport allowance. These will be deducted from the November beet cheque. "But for most growers, the amount reclaimed will be more than covered by the final 1996/97 C beet payment due," says British Sugar.
This C payment is estimated at £5.90 per adjusted tonne and takes the total to around £17.45/t (on an adjusted delivered basis).
Despite the lower interim price this season, the situation is not totally bleak, says British Sugars agricultural director, Chris Carter. "We are looking at another good year for crop productivity, following last years record. And prospects for C beet are also encouraging with world markets quite tight."n