News Sugar beets
First cultivation of organic beets is a success
The first full-fledged cultivation of organic sugar beet in France has been successful, according to beet processor Cristal Union. For the company, this is a reason to significantly scale up production, because the demand for bio sugar is only expected to increase.
Cristal Union processed organic sugar beets for the first time in 2017. It was a small-scale practical trial. This year 150 hectares have been cultivated, resulting in a production of 8.000 tons (converted 53 tons per hectare). 50 tons is used as a guideline, compared to 75 tons for conventionally grown crops.
Area expanded
During the press release Xavier Astolfi, the general manager, says he is satisfied with the progress of the trial and it has therefore been decided to scale it up in 2019. It does not yet say how many hectares or tons the cooperative wants to have next year.
Cristal Union has now converted 1 factory in Corbeilles, so that the beets can be processed here. The production process must be kept strictly separate from conventional sugar. The next step is to certify the production and sugar.
Until now, organic beet cultivation has only been reserved for a small group of organic companies south of Paris in the Île-de-France department. The plan is to eventually offer all 2.000 members the opportunity to grow organic beets.
More interest
Total organic cultivation in Europe covers about 5.000 to 6.000 hectares. In 2015, the European Union imported 170.000 tons of organic cane sugar, although imports have plummeted this year. So there is room for an area of 19.000 hectares, the news site writes Felt† Several European countries want to start cultivation or expand it further.
The processors in Belgium are also showing interest. Suiker Unie held off on the boat for a long time, but it was already experimenting with bio beets at the beginning of 2000. That was not a success. New tests are now being conducted, but in Germany. The 2 Dutch factories have too large a capacity to be interesting for organic sugar.
Besides the sales opportunities and a sugar market that is in a deep malaise, there is another reason to go organic. Felt mentions a price that ranges from €90 to €100 per ton of beets. A lower yield is therefore quickly absorbed, certainly because an even higher price level is expected.
Cultivation technique
In addition to the lower yield, there are considerably higher costs for mechanical weed control. Disease control is also an issue. Cristal Union already produces organically grown alfalfa and claims to be the market leader in France. Expertise from this cultivation is now trying to transfer it to beet cultivation. To simplify weed control, machines are rented out, contractors are employed and experimented with new hoeing technology.
Niels van der Boom
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