Sugar war: Europe's beet farmers under pressure through Ukraine imports!

Sugar war: Europe's beet farmers under pressure through Ukraine imports!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - The free trade agreements between the European Union and Ukraine have massive effects on the European sugar market. In response to the Russian war of aggression, the EU of Ukraine grants duty -free market access for agricultural products, which led to a drastic increase in sugar production in Ukraine. So far, Ukrainian sugar in Europe has been insignificant, but the country has increased its sugar beet area by about 20 percent, which has led to strong quantity and price pressure, especially in neighboring Eastern European EU countries. This reported, among other things, OTS .

The situation escalated so far that an intervention by the European beet farmers' associations became necessary, which were able to enforce a quantity limit of 263,000 tons. But even before these odds come into force, there were considerable faults on the market and a drop in prices. Ernst Karpfinger, President of the Austrian beet farmers and Vice President of the Cibe, emphasizes that the agreement, especially great agricultural hinges, benefits and does not meet international production standards. This endangers the existence of sugar beet production in Europe. The EU plans to renew the Agreement by June 2025, whereby the request exists to reduce the import quotas to the previous volume of 20,000 tons.

European support for Ukraine

While the EU has strengthened Ukraine's economic and military support, these measures encounter mixed reactions with regard to its economic consequences. Since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, the EU has provided a total of over 88 billion euros to support Ukraine. This help, which includes humanitarian, political and financial aspects, was considered crucial for the resistance of Ukraine towards Russian aggression. Details on EU help and the measures taken can be found on the official website of European Union .