Tienen (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The VILT reports a significant decline in sugar beet harvests with sugar content down 40% due to adverse weather. This impacts farmers’ earnings and factory profits highlighting broader agricultural challenges this year.
The VILT (Flemish Information Centre for Agriculture and Horticulture) has reported worrying forecasts for the sugar beet harvest which are supported by data from the Tienen sugar factory. According to their findings the sugar content of the beets is about 40 percent lower than usual. Erwin Boonen the director of raw materials at the factory is emphasizing how serious the situation is.
What challenges is the Tienen sugar factory facing due to low sugar beet yields?
It has been said that the factory tests samples throughout the production process and this year the results are particularly bad. The lower sugar content means that the yield from the beets is less which affects both the farmers and the factory. Farmers are affected because their payments depend not only on how many beets they grow but also on how much sugar is in them. With less sugar they earn less money. The factory is also facing lower profits because the reduced sugar content makes it harder to extract and process the sugar efficiently.They mentioned that this situation shows that it’s a tough year for both farmers and the sugar factory.
The bad weather in May and June marked by gloomy skies and heavy rain is mostly to blame for the current problems with the sugar content in sugar beets. Despite these challenges the Tienen sugar factory remains a bit hopeful. Erwin Boonen the director of raw materials at the factory acknowledges that beets are quite resilient. He notes that the sunny weather this summer could help improve the situation and lessen some of the effects of the previous rainy conditions. However he also points out that the impact of the wet months cannot be completely fixed at this point. Boonen believes that the decrease in yield and sugar content is not just a single issue but could also affect other agricultural sectors. The challenges faced in beet farming due to the weather may reflect wider problems in agriculture this year.
