Germany’s Nordzucker considering cane sugar takeovers in South America

Suedzucker AG

28/05/2026 13:05

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    HAMBURG, May 28  (Reuters) - Germany’s second-largest sugar producer Nordzucker is considering company acquisitions to expand its cane sugar business in South America, CEO Lars Gorissen told Reuters on Thursday.
After the takeover of Australia’s Mackay Sugar in 2019, Nordzucker is again considering acquisitions in the cane sugar sector, Gorissen said after a press conference to present the company’s financial results on Thursday.
Gorissen said Nordzucker plans to expand the share of its core earnings to 50% from non-European sugar from about 15% now largely though expansion of its cane sugar sector.
He told Reuters after the press conference: “We want to expand our cane sugar sector mainly through cooperation or acquisitions, through M&A.”
“We have been looking at worldwide possibilities for acquisitions including in Africa, Asia and Australia and we have now turned our attention to South America.”
“We have a pipeline of takeover projects and concrete takeover projects are currently under way.”
He declined to say which countries in South America could be involved.
Nordzucker is also considering expansion in non-sugar sectors including in food ingredients and animal feed ingredients and takeovers in this sector are also possible, he said.
No further closures of sugar production capacity in Europe are currently planned.
Nordzucker has recently reduced sugar processing capacity in Finland and Slovakia. 

(Reporting by Michael Hogan. Editing by Keith Weir)
((michael.j.hogan@thomsonreuters.com; +49 172 671 36 54; Reuters Messaging: michael.hogan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net/))