European Commission expects less sugar per hectare

The lower yield expectations per hectare largely negate an expansion of beet cultivation in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. This is especially true for France. The area has expanded by 7.4 percent, but the amount of sugar per hectare has decreased by 6 percent. Total production in the most important sugar beet regions of the European Union increased by 1.6 percent to 10.7 million tons of sugar. This means that sugar production in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany remains just below the five-year average of 10.8 million tons. In other regions there is a relatively stronger expansion. This also applies to 'region 3': Spain, Italy, Romania and Croatia. There, the total area has risen to well above 100,000 hectares for the first time since 2019. In 2022, the area in these countries was the smallest, with less than 70,000 hectares. Total production in this region has not yet exceeded 1 million tons, but compared to last year, an increase of 40 percent is ...