Romanian sugar producer gets EUR 13 mn state grant to boost capacity

Romanian sugar producer Zahar Premium, which took over a sugar factory in Ludus (Mures County) from French Tereos in February 2023, will invest in the next three years around RON 129 million (EUR 26 million) out of which roughly half (48%) was received as a state grant to increase its production capacity and expanding the range of products, Economicaannounced.

"In three years, we will contract more beet from farmers in the region. We will be able to sign contracts for 11-12,000 hectares compared to 8,700 hectares now," stated the company's co-owner Mihaela Neagu.

The company's project was declared eligible for state aid worth RON 62.5 million under the Investalim grant scheme.

The investment should be completed within three years from the signing of the financing contract.

The company is the only sugar producer in Romania with local capital that currently refines beets.

Its capacity will increase by approximately 25%, from 3,200 tonnes per day to 4,000 tonnes per day.

The company plans to purchase packaging equipment and will install a new line of vanilla sugar as well as a new state-of-the-art production line for sachet-packaged sugar. The products will be destined for the local market.

Mihaela Neagu, through Best Achiziții, also controls a sugar factory in Bod (Brasov County), where processing has not resumed yet. The sugar manufactured at Luduș is marketed under the Bod brand.

Apart from the Ludus and Bod factories, in Romania only Austrian group Agrana has production units, in Roman and Buzău, the activity of the latter being restricted from November 2023.

(Photo: Erik Tatevosian/ Dreamstime)