En February, the beet growers took to the streets very close to the National Assembly. A heavily armed parade. Hundreds of tractors converged on Paris to denounce the ban on neonicotinoids and the restriction on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Since then, the beets have been planted, they have grown and are starting to be harvested. The die has therefore been cast.
How much will the beet growers earn? The jackpot! Even if we will have to wait for the last harvestings and the fixing of the price to have a definitive figure, the farmers who have bet on this crop have drawn the lucky card. “A tonne of beets could be paid 55 euros”, specifies Franck Sander, president of the General Confederation of Beet Planters (CGB), based in Ohlungen (Bas-Rhin). Never seen before in France.
The Alsatian farmer predicted it: “2023 will be the year of the beet”, he repeated, sowing the good word before sowing to encourage his colleagues to favor this crop. The ace. The surface area of beet fields continued to shrink, losing 5.7% to 379,000 hectares. However, despite fears linked to the absence of neonicotinoids, attacks of jaundice have been limited. And even if the growing conditions were not the most favorable, with late sowing, the expected yield would be close to average. Higher in any case than that of 2022. But beet growers who are also cereal producers have favored rapeseed or wheat. However, the price of cereals fell when that of sugar soared. Bad pick…
Rise in blood sugar
“ In August, the European sugar price was 808 euros per tonne. It should soon reach 900 to 950 euros », underlines Timothé Masson, economist at the CGB. A historically high level. On world markets, prices for white powder are near levels not reached in a dozen years. Speculators have caused sugar prices to spike rapidly and the trend continues.
“At the global level, a deficit is announced for the 2023-2024 campaign, the sixth in a row”, explains Mr. Masson. Yet Brazil, with its 42 million tonnes of sugar, displays its second historic production record. Cane juice flowed in abundance and Brazilians pressed the sugar button rather than ethanol this year to take advantage of the windfall. The real crucible of this price surge is to be found in India. While the subcontinent has exported up to 11 million tonnes of sugar, this year the trading floors are buzzing with a possible ban on the export of the precious commodity. The current harvest, disrupted by the El Niño weather phenomenon, would not be bountiful, and the government, which has the 2024 elections in its sights, wants to curb inflation in the country even if it means putting barriers to trade flows. In France, sugar fuels inflation. Candy and confectionery are not yet done with rising prices…