French sugar beet farmers expect a 2.5% increase in harvest.

The French sugar beet industry is expected to grow to 32.4 million tons in this year. This is up from the 31.6 million tons in 2023, despite yields dropping to their lowest level in 17 years due to bad weather.

CGB's forecast for the current harvest is well below the latest French Ministry of Agriculture's forecast, which was 33.7 million tonnes based on estimated by November 1.

The development of the 2024 crop has been disrupted by rains that have continued from sowing until harvest, lack of sunlight and leaf disease.

CGB informed reporters that the estimated average yield was 79 tons per ha (t/ha), which is lower than the 83 t/ha of last year, and the 81.1 t/ha average over the past five years.

Estimates are made based on a sugar content of 16 %.

CGB forecast that sugar production would increase to 3.9 million tonnes in 2024/25, from 3.7 millions tons in 2023/24. However, total alcohol and fuel ethanol production was predicted to drop to 8 million hectolitres, from 8.4million tons last season. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman.)

(source: Reuters)