Suedzucker posts 60.6% Q3 operating profit jump as fruit business offsets weak EU sugar market
Strong performance in fruit lifts Suedzucker’s third-quarter results despite continued pressure from low EU sugar prices.
GERMANY – Europe’s largest sugar producer, Suedzucker, has reported a 60.6% surge in third-quarter operating profit, driven by strong performance in its non-sugar businesses, particularly fruit, which helped offset persistent weakness in the EU sugar market.
The German group said operating profit for the quarter ended November 2025, part of its 2025/26 financial year, reached €53 million (US$61.8 million). This compares with an operating loss of €33 million (US$38.4 million), recorded in the same period a year earlier.
However, Suedzucker said its group operating result for the reporting period declined sharply to €95 million (US$110.6 million), down from €236 million (US$274.8 million) a year earlier.
The company said a “substantial deterioration” in the sugar, special products, CropEnergies and starch segments was partly offset by “significant growth in the fruit segment.”
Losses in the sugar division narrowed during the quarter, with the segment posting an operating loss of €47 million (US$54.7 million), compared with a €95 million loss (US$110.6 million) in the same period last year.
Suedzucker attributed the improvement to cost measures, although it said the segment continued to be hit by “a significant reduction in sugar prices” and lower sales volumes, especially in export markets.
Data showed average EU sugar prices fell to €532 (US$620) per metric ton in November 2025, down from €600 per metric ton (US$699), in November 2024, despite restrictions on low-priced Ukrainian sugar imports.
“The challenge we are facing is that sugar production, both in the EU and worldwide, is too high and above consumption,” a Suedzucker spokesperson said. “Prices remain low, and the sugar market conditions continue to be highly challenging. No significant earnings recovery in the sugar market is expected.”
Suedzucker confirmed its full-year 2025/26 operating profit forecast of between €100 million and €200 million (US$116 million to US$233 million), down from €350 million (US$408 million) last year. The company said it expects the sugar segment to record an operating loss again in the fourth quarter.
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