Russian raw sugar imports rose by 11.7 percent to 1,259,300 tonnes in the first five months of 2005 from 1,127,700 tonnes in the same period of 2004, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) said on Friday. Imports in May were 395,000 tonnes, 8.3 percent higher than 364,900 in April and more than double from 171,400 in March.
Traders and analysts have said the increase resulted from higher purchases ahead of a seasonal rise in soft drinks and ice cream production.
Russian raw sugar imports fell sharply to 2.6 million tonnes in 2004 from 4.1 million in 2003 following the introduction of a floating import tariff instead of a tariff quota, while refining from domestic beets increased.
Some analysts say imports may rise to up to 3 million tonnes this year due to an expected decline in domestic sugar beet output.
An FCS statement said Russian imports of white sugar and cocoa beans from outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) declined in the first five months of 2005, while imports of coffee, tea and cocoa products rose.