Report on Sugar Campaign 2014/2015 in Czech Republic

• Published in: Listy cukrovarnické a řepařské Vol. 131; no. 7-8; p. 242
• Main Authors: Gebler, Jaroslav, Koznarová, Vera, Hájková, Lenka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Czech
• Published: Prague VUC Praha, a.s 01.07.2015
• ISSN: 1210-3306; 1805-9708

The article presents assessment and campaign results of the year 2014/2015. Weather during 2014 could be viewed as ideal during the whole vegetation period in Bohemia and as less favorable in Moravia, which resulted in significantly lower sugar content. These differences could be seen already during the pre-vegetative period when the precipitations were 235% and 46% of long-term average; by the end of autumn, the precipitation rate changed (30% and 310%). The end of the year was characterized as warm, deviation of average annual air temperature from the long-term average was +0.8 °C. Sugar beet processing in Czech sugar factories was the longest since 1918 and took 178.5 days (from 8 September 2014 to 3 March 2015). Average output was 111%, which represents daily processing capacity in individual factories from 2,133 t/d to 20,398 t/d of sugar beet. Average sugar content was 15.98% (it was within 15.14-17.40%). The amount of produced sugar was 595,440 t in white sugar value. Total of 4.2 mil. t of sugar beet and 314 thousand t of sugar beet for bio-sugar was processed. The main investment projects before the campaign aimed at boosting storage capacities for sugar (three silos for total 90 thousand t) and molasses (35 thousand m3) and at improvement of operation and the environment (pulpress, central dust collector, WWTP for sugar factory and distillery, candle filter and new carbonator with Richter pipes as well as actualization of the software and process controlling of several technological stations). Failure of the Krupp India centrifuge can be considered a blessing in disguise.