Sugar manufacturers want to raise price the state pays for sugar beets

Sugar production companies and the Sugar Crops Research Institute want the government to pay farmers EGP 500 per tonne for sugar beets, up from EGP 400 per tonne, Al Borsa reports. Industry representatives will present the new pricing scheme to the Agriculture Ministry, which it hopes will champion the issue at cabinet before the upcoming harvest season. The Agriculture Ministry aims to increase the cultivated area for sugar beets to 600k feddans, up from 500k last season.