The Zaharul Oradea sugar factory, one of the biggest in Romania, will close down and its 200 employees will be laid off.

German group Pfeifer & Langen, which owns the factory, hasn’t managed to make it profitable or find a buyer for it, although a group of Romanian sugar beet producers showed interest in taking over the plant. The German group decided that it was cheaper to produce in Poland, reports local Digi24.

Zaharul Oradea had a turnover of EUR 78 million and EUR 6.4 million losses in 2016, according to official data from the Finance Ministry.

Romania had some 30 sugar factories before 1989, but only four of them still operate today. The other players on the market are Austrian group Agrana and local company Zaharul Bod.

editor@romania-insider.com