PRESS RELEASE

U.S. SUGAR BEGINS 2009-10 SUGARCANE HARVEST

Contact: Judy Sanchez
863.902.2210
561.261.3167

Released: October 1, 2009

Clewiston, FL — October 1, 2009U.S. Sugar is scheduled to start its 2009-10 sugarcane harvest on October 1 and will begin processing the first railcars of cane at the Clewiston Sugar Factory later that day. Both the harvesting and processing operations operate 24/7 during the October through April harvest season.   

 "The drought broke in May, and with more normal rainfall over the summer growing season, we are anticipating a slightly better crop than the weather-shortened crops of the last few years,” said Judy Sanchez, director of corporate communications. 

Sanchez said the company plans to harvest 165,000 acres, which should yield approximately 6.4 million tons of sugarcane, and the Clewiston Refinery is projected to produce a record 13.6 million cwt of refined sugar.

“Both the cane and beet sugar harvests are now underway across the country, and this should continue to ensure that the market has adequate sugar supplies.  Market rumors of domestic sugar shortages over the past few months have proved groundless.  While there currently is a world shortage of sugar, the USDA is currently projecting a sugar surplus in the U.S. for this crop year,” Sanchez said.

Once again, the U.S. Sugar program provided for reliable supply and affordable prices by balancing safe, abundant domestic sugar supplies with sugar imports from dozens of sugar-producing countries, including free market imports from Mexico via NAFTA. 

Like other Florida growers, U.S. Sugar’s 2008-09 crop, 5.65 million tons, was impacted by freeze, drought and lack of irrigation water.  U.S. Sugar imported 75,000 tons of raw sugar from Mexico during May-August for refining – enabling the Clewiston Refinery to set numerous production records with 13.48 million cwt of refined sugar.   

All of the company’s refined sugar products are marketed by United Sugars Corporation, a marketing cooperative that includes U.S. Sugar and beet sugar farmers and processors American Crystal Sugar and Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative.

“If there are customers having trouble finding a reliable, high quality sugar supply, have them call United Sugars,” Sanchez said.    

In its third year of modernized and consolidated operations, U.S. Sugar’s state-of-the-art sugar milling and refining operations make its Clewiston Sugar Factory the world’s largest fully integrated sugar processing facility.

###