Current situation of sugar market in the world and in Turkey: The case of Kayseri Sugar Factory

Agriculture is one of the main sectors of the country's economies. Within the agricultural sector, sugar sector is a strategically important one all over the world considering its by-products. In our country, sugar production is made from sugar beet, whose production cost is higher than sugar cane. Therefore, the cost of production in Turkey with an average cost of $ 900 per tonne has nearly doubled in the World average. A second factor that increases costs is high raw material costs and low productivity. The cost of raw materials in our country is 30% higher than other European countries. In despite of all these negativities, added-value and social benefit created by the sugar sector is quite high. The agriculture of sugar beet affects directly and indirectly approximately 10 million people. In this context, within the scope of the purpose of this study, the current situation of the sugar industry in our country in particular for the Kayseri Sugar Factory was examined and SWOT analysis was conducted. In the study, it has been concluded that the practices carried out by Kayseri Sugar Factory within the scope of efforts to reduce costs, increase service quality and increase brand value are good examples. In addition, it was evaluated that the research results were guiding policy makers within the scope of establishing sugar policy, and factory managers in increasing the advantage of sugar factories to increase economic welfare.