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State sugar refineries GM sees benefit in privatization
Speaking to the Anatolia news agency on Wednesday, Aksu said privatization will benefit the public to a great extent, with less expensive sugar and more stable prices.
The government has long had plans to sell its sugar refineries but has not achieved much progress due to fierce opposition from sugar beet farmers and workers at the sugar refineries. For instance, workers at some facilities have blockaded the entrances of their workplaces and prevented interested parties from entering the plants for inspections before the tender.
The Privatization Administration (OİB) is planning to complete the sale of TÜRKŞEKER’s refineries in Kastamonu, Kırşehir, Turhal, Yozgat, Çorum and Çarşamba by the end of this year. The deadline for submitting final bids is today, and a number of domestic and foreign companies have shown interest by purchasing specifications. Interested companies are requested to deposit TL 10 million as a provisional guarantee.
Aksu said TÜRKŞEKER’s privatization strategy was devised by considering recent developments in the global sugar market and similar tenders in the past in other countries. The ÖİB also consulted the Sugar Agency and the Competition Board to avoid any legal complications that could prevent the completion of the sale after the tender.
The Sugar Agency was established in 2001 to regulate the sugar market during studies on modernizing the domestic sugar market and production mechanisms. During this time, the government also set up infrastructure to prepare the market for privatization. “Thanks to these studies, the emergence of a chaotic environment in the sugar market is quite unlikely,” Aksu noted and added that the current strategy aims to protect the balance between supply and demand, guarantee stocks for supply security, prevent overdependence on foreign producers and ensure continuity in production and growth.
As of the end of 2008 TÜRKŞEKER accounted for 55 percent of total domestic sales. Net sales in the sector in 2008 amounted to TL 1.96 billion, while net profits were just TL 3.2 million.
Aksu said the Turkish sweetener industry’s annual production capacity was 4.14 million tons in 2008, 990,000 tons of which were produced by starch-based sugar producers. There are five starch-based sugar producers in Turkey, which run six refineries. Conversely, seven sugar beet producers in the country operate a total of 33 refineries.
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