Protection from Cane Sugar Sought by Moldovan Growers

KIEV - Mar 3/03 - APK -- Moldovan agricultural producers' union Uniagroprotect and the union of sugar producers believe that sales of domestically produced beet sugar is troubled because of intervention of cane-origin sugar into the territory of the country, Infotag agency informed.

In a joint sitting February 27 the two unions adopted an appeal to the country's authorities with a demand to take immediate measures to protect domestic beet sugar industry.

The document states that in 2003 areas under sugar beet can be cut to 29,000 to 30,000 hectares because of "negligence and delay in solving the problems of the beet-sugar industry" (the news agency does not provide current figures of sown area).

The authors of the appeal also state that Russia, Ukraine and Romania agree to provide Moldova beneficial quotas for export of sugar only on a condition that Moldova provides guarantees that the sugar has not been received as a result of import cane raw sugar processing.

On the threshold of sowing campaign, six farmers' associations, involved in growing sugar beet, and the union of sugar producers have claimed from the Ministry of Economy to assess the losses, produced by the imports of raw sugar, and in accordance with the country's anti-dumping and protective legislation, to take immediate steps to provide long-term protection of the industry. They have also suggested making amendments into the law of state budget, requiring the importers of raw to pay a financial security fee to guarantee re-export of the sugar, produced from the raw.

Also, sugar producers want the VAT for sales of beet sugar in domestic market to be cut to 10 percent, and consider that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry should stop distribution of Moldovan certificates of origin for the sugar, produced from raw.

In other news about sugar from the region, Russia's Ministry of Agriculture, as of February 27 this year, Russian sugar refinery plants processed 522,100 metric tons (MT) of raw sugar (as of the same date the year before - 548,800 MT) and produced 511,400 MT of white sugar (in 2002 - 536,100 MT).

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