The acreage of sugar beet in the Netherlands this year amounts to 81.279 hectares, an increase of 2,7% compared to the previous year. Especially in the northern provinces, more sugar beet is grown. More to the south a decrease is noticeable.
The surface area of sugar beet in the Netherlands is somewhat more erratic than other arable crops. The cultivation moves along with the market sentiment and can therefore move quite a bit. In 2010 and 2015, cultivation fell sharply. The 58.000 hectares that were cultivated 5 years ago is an absolute low. Due to a large harvest in 2014, the surplus was postponed for a year and 2 years later the acreage had already reached a level that had not been seen since 2005.
Level 2006
After a significant correction of -5.860 hectares in 2018, 2.156 hectares more beet will be grown again this year, representing an increase of 2,7%. This is due to the increased allocation of Cosun Beet Company. The acreage is therefore approximately at the 2006 level. This makes our country one of the few countries in Europe to expand the beet acreage this season. Especially in France and Germany, the acreage is decreasing, because the processing capacity decreases due to the closure of factories.
The province of Groningen has the most sugar beet. This area accounts for 17% of the acreage. After the low point in 2015, the northern province took the lead, after even more beets were grown in Drenthe earlier.
Doubling acreage
The municipality of Het Hogeland is still good for most sugar beets. This year, sugar beet is grown on 2.680 hectares. The municipality of Midden-Groningen is in 2nd place with 1.766 hectares and with 1.600 hectares, the municipality of Oldambt is in 3rd place. After the beet quota ended, cultivation in these municipalities grew significantly. In the Oldambt, cultivation even doubled in 2 years.
Also in the province of Drenthe, the number 2 in acreage (12.650 hectares), growers are growing more sugar beet this year. This is 5% more compared to 2019, although major differences per municipality are not visible. Across the board, companies have started growing more beets.
Decline in Flevoland
Less sugar beet is grown in Gelderland and Flevoland, although the decrease is minimal. The share of sugar beet in the youngest province of the Netherlands will decrease over the long term. Partly because cultivation is being replaced by higher-yielding crops and partly because of the arrival of more organic companies. They sell their LLBs. In 10 years, the Flevoland beet acreage decreased by 6,4%. The area has been reduced especially before that time. The decrease since 2005, cultivation has decreased by 27%.
After Groningen and Drenthe, Zeeland has the most sugar beet. Despite the fact that the cultivation of other crops in this province is under pressure, beet cultivation is not shrinking. In 10 years, an average of 17% of beets was added. This growth is visible in all municipalities, without certain regions standing out. 15% of all beets are grown in Zeeland.
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