It is reported by Reuters.

«In the sugar segment we are currently operating in a difficult environment with worldwide production overcapacity and extremely low prices with which hardly any sugar producer can operate profitably, — CEO Wolfgang Heer told the annual meeting of Suedzucker shareholders, — We are convinced that the situation will normalize after a transition phase and that the market and price structure will again reach a sustainable and profitable level». 

An essential pre-condition for this would be that overcapacity in sugar production is reduced in the current and next sugar season as expected by analysts, he said. This would be achieved by an expected 2 percent increase in annual global sugar consumption, by closing production capacity or by a combination of these two trends.

EU sugar prices have fallen by more than 12 percent since market deregulation.

«We cannot simply wait for an improvement in the sugar market, — Heer said, — In such a market situation we will of course urgently have to optimize our cost structure in order to generate a relative competitive advantage for ourselves. In addition, we see it as our task to reconsider and re-assess all conceivable options for the adaption of our previous strategy in the sugar segment».

The company is continuing efforts to expand outside Europe, with its last financial year showing a sales increase in Asia of over 60 percent and a 30 percent increase in the Americas.