Taste Tiense Sugar
Belgium gets organic sugar beet cultivation
The Belgian sugar beet processor Tiense Suikerraffinaderij will start growing organic sugar beets this year. A full-fledged cultivation must be set up by 2019. Parent company Südzucker, like other European players, sees something in an organic sugar market.
Tiense Sugar Refinery will start this year with a few test fields. It is not yet known whether these will be built in Flanders or Wallonia. "Perhaps that Walloon organic farmers feel more attracted to cultivation," says Erwin Boonen, director of raw materials at Tiense Suiker. website felt.be. "Flemish organic companies focus more on vegetables and potatoes."
Full cultivation can only take place in 2019. The 2018 season is therefore primarily intended to gauge interest. An additional advantage is that organic beet pulp is also produced, which organic livestock farmers can feed.
test balloons
Organic sugar beet is already grown in Germany and Austria and Nordzucker started in 2017 with a trial in Germany. Trials have also been carried out on a limited scale in France. European processors are probing the market with test balloons, in the hope of opening up a new channel. They hope that this will yield more financially than conventional white sugar.
Between 1999 and 2004, Suiker Unie processed organic beets. What mainly hindered the serious project was the lack of sufficient demand. In 1 season enough sugar was grown for 2 years. Nevertheless, it does keep the developments in the holes† In the Netherlands, only organic beets are currently grown for the production of apple syrup.
Niels van der Boom
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