Agrana sugar factory in Leopoldstadt remains fixed – Austria

This makes economic sense given the sugar beet acreage in Austria of around 38,200 hectares contracted with farmers for cultivation in 2021, Agrana chief Johann Marihart said at a press conference in Vienna on Friday.

The central points of the agreement were already known: the federal government and the federal states have given promises of aid to farmers who will receive a premium of 250 euros per hectare if the first sugar beet crop is to be destroyed by pests and farmers from the affected area again. Grow beets.

Agrana continues to guarantee the purchase of sugar beet with contracts. Seeds are provided. If the first crop is destroyed by pests, the listed starch, fruit and sugar company bears the costs of the seeds for re-cultivation.

“Especially in Lower Austria, this will increase production by around eight percent,” said Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP). “It is a very respectable result. Lower Austria is our main growing area.” Köstinger said it is not yet possible to quantify how high the costs of the aid to beet growers will be. “We don’t know how big the damaged area will be next year.” Two years ago, around 10,000 hectares of beets were destroyed by the weevil. This time it looks better due to the relatively wet fall, so the damaged area should remain “fairly manageable” next year. “The support that is needed will also be there,” emphasized Köstinger. The necessary pesticides will also be available in any case.

Half of the costs would be borne by the federal government and half by the federal states, especially Lower Austria, but also Upper Austria and Styria. Vienna and Burgenland cannot be “taken away.”

Compared to aid from the crown in billions, aid for beet growers is “just one decimal,” said Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP). The more than 150 secured jobs are especially important in a region like Marchfeld.

In total, 38,000 hectares of growing area are needed to operate the two sugar beet plants; In addition to Leopoldsdorf, there is also a plant in Tulln, Lower Austria, said the chairman of the Agrana supervisory board, Erwin Hameseder. But since there are always fluctuations, one “won’t start counting peas.”

In the last 15 years, around 25,000 jobs have been lost in the European sugar industry, said Agrana works council Thomas Buder. Agrana also closed its Hohenau location in 2006. For Leopoldsdorf “we had a social fund plan that was ready to be signed”, but which is not currently necessary.

The chairman of the Austrian beet growers, Ernst Karpfinger, said he was “very relieved” by the unanimous decision of the Supervisory Board. At best, the solution now found will cost nothing if the damage is minor due to the weather. The weevil will continue to be a problem for beet growers in the future. “I think our fate depends on that famous weevil.”