EkoNiva Group, Russia's largest dairy holding, has announced the start of sugar beet harvesting in Kursk oblast. Belsakhar, a plant within the Group, will resume operations in the 2023/24 farming season to process the crop.

A total of 2,700 hectares of land in Shchigry and Solntsevo districts of the region was planted with sugar beets. Kursk subdivision started the harvesting campaign on 10 September. The raw material is to be delivered to Belsakhar plant for further processing which is scheduled for mid-September.

The enterprise in Kommunar village, Belaya district, became part of EkoNiva Group in 2018. It was refurbished to enhance its efficiency and the quality of its products. The boiler room underwent a major overhaul: the BGM 35/39 gas boiler economiser, gas furnace turbines and steel casing were replaced. The diffuser, beet cutters, beet pilers and pulp press were also repaired. In addition, the beet feeding hoppers were changed, and there was a commissioning of the press-chamber filters which were also equipped with new controllers and modules. Pumps and sack stitching machines were installed at the facility as well.

The plant will have a processing capacity of up to 2,050 tonnes of sugar beets per day and produce an average of 300 tonnes of TS2- and TS3-grade sugar. In addition to its own harvest, EkoNiva is ready to accept crops from other local farms for processing.

The finished sugar will be packed in 50-kg bags and sold wholesale in the Russian market. The company has already reached preliminary agreements with potential customers. The launch of Belsakhar is essential for the residents of Belaya district – in the production season, the plant will create about 330 jobs.