The sugar beet acreage is shrinking by 9% due to lower allocation, while emergence is not uniform everywhere due to drought. Resowing remains limited despite crust formation. Read more about sugar beet acreage development.
Compared to last year, cultivation is decreasing by approximately 7.000 hectares. This amounts to a reduction of 9%, according to Cosun's calculations. The decline in acreage is therefore in line with the reduction of the allocation to 90%.
The first sugar beets were sown in March, and the 2026 sowing season will be completed at the end of April. The average sowing date has been set at April 9, which, according to Cosun, is one day earlier than the average of the past five years.
Due to the drought over the past month, the emergence of the sugar beets has not been regular everywhere. Here and there, the seed ended up in dry soil or crust formation hindered the emergence of the young seedlings.
In total, about 239 hectares have been reseeded so far. That is a small area compared to previous years. In 2024 and 2025, about 1.200 to 1.300 hectares were reseeded. Sugar beets were reseeded this year mainly in North and South Holland (64 hectares). Crusting is the main reason for reseeding to date.