Quarter to harvest
Beet harvesters continue despite rain
Suiker Unie is warning beet growers to continue harvesting sugar beet despite the poor conditions. The situation is not improving, while the risks are increasing. Despite all the rainfall, the harvesters continue to drive. Another quarter has to be harvested.
In the eleventh campaign week, approximately 10% of the acreage was harvested. At the start of week 48, 26% of all sugar beets still had to be harvested, accounting for more than 22.000 hectares. Rainfall mainly causes more tare. Sugar Union calls to lift the beets as quickly as possible. The chance of better weather conditions is small.
26
procent
The latest news item mentions the risk of frost damage. Light frost is expected this week, especially in the east of the Netherlands. Therefore, care must also be taken when covering beet heaps. It is advisable to cover with a fleece cloth to keep the heap dry.
High tare
In the past campaign week, the average sugar percentage was 17,1%. That is roughly the same as the previous 3 weeks. Real outliers are not in the list. With 12% tare, this percentage also remains stable. The week before, the average was 12,4%. The clay areas stand out clearly. In the northern part of Noord-Holland, beets are loaded with more than 19% tare. Elsewhere in North Holland it is 18%.
Comparison with 2016
The current figures are comparable to 2016. Then the beets were slightly sweeter. However, the tare percentages were considerably lower, due to a drier course of the campaign. In the eleventh week, the average was 10%. However, that is quite low for the end of November.
Niels van der Boom
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