Weather and lack of active ingredients will worsen average sugar beet yields in the EU in the coming years

In 2023, sugar prices registered a record increase, leading to the EU sugar beet area in 2024/25 reaching its highest value in 6 years, reaching more than 1.6 million hectares. These prices have started to decline and are projected to continue to decline, while competition for land use from other crops is expected to increase, so the sugar beet area is expected to slowly decline to 1.44 million hectares in 2035, according to the European Commission's recently published long-term forecast report 2024-2035. Sugar beet yields are expected to slowly decline due to the increased frequency of adverse weather events and the reduced availability of plant protection products. Later in the projection period, the decline in sugar beet yields could slow as alternatives to banned neonicotinoid substances become available. By 2035, the average EU sugar beet yield is projected to stabilise at 72 t/ha compared to 76 t/ha projected in 20245. As a result of changes in area and yields, EU sugar ...