French beet harvest suffers from virus and drought

The beet yield in France is under considerable pressure due to virus and drought, according to the Interprofessional Association of Beet and Sugar (AIBS). Estimated yield losses in the worst affected areas are just 40%, bringing the total beet harvest in the country below the 5-year average.

The yield forecast for the beet harvest in France is currently 80 tons per hectare, which is 10% below the 5-year average of 88 tons per hectare. As a result, sugar production for 2020 is expected to be between 580.000 and 840.000 tons. The lower yield in French beet growers is mainly caused by the beet yellowing virus.

yellowing virus
According to AIBS, the infection rate is certainly not decreasing yet. In the already infected areas in the south of France, the infection rate is 80%, while in the north of the country it is a percentage of about 15%. Yield losses in the hardest hit beet areas have already risen to 40%, although the virus (combined with the drought) in the 'central' region is even causing losses of more than 50%.

A beet plot in Puiseaux (Loiret) is an excellent example of the extreme situation in the country. This plot has not been irrigated and only had 10 millimeters of water over the summer period. The samples give a yield of between 25 and 30 tons per hectare, with the beets not growing since July. In a normal year, the beets grow 15 to 15 tons in 20 days, but this year it is only 7 to 10 tons.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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