Nordzucker Post 4/2024 - 24 October 2024
Beet harvest: high yield – campaign expected to last until February
The 2024/25 campaign has been running in the European factories since the beginning of September. Nordzucker expects an above-average beet yield – and a particularly long processing time; at many locations, the campaign is expected to last until mid-February.
It is an exceptional beet year in every respect. In most of Nordzucker’s regions, yields will be well above the average of the past five years. Only in Denmark are expectations below average; in Sweden, the result will be on a par with previous years. “Despite the late and extended sowing times in many places and the cold and wet spring, growing conditions over the course of the season were very favourable for the sugar beet,” says Björn Kiepe, Head of Agri Consulting & Shared Agri Services. “Warm weather and regular rainfall provided a growth spurt in almost all regions. The result is a high beet yield. However, leaf disease infestation is very severe in some regions, and the harvest results so far confirm the suspicion that high yields in combination with Cercospora infestation led to fluctuating and sometimes low sugar levels. In view of the very high beet volumes, we started processing as early as the beginning of September.” In order to minimise the risk of frost damage to the beet, particular attention will be paid to good and comprehensive clamp maintenance. Further risk minimisation measures are being planned.
“Processing is running very smoothly in most plants, with a high daily throughput. However, a long campaign also poses a particular challenge for our employees and the plants. Occupational safety is a top priority, especially now,” emphasises Alexander Godow, COO. As in previous years, the plants in Nykøbing (Denmark) and Kėdainiai (Lithuania) initially started processing organically grown beets. Production also began at the Schladen plant at the end of August, but damage to the extraction tower ended the organic beet campaign there prematurely. A buckled metal blade or retainer in the tower had damaged several others. The employees in Schladen worked around the clock to repair the extraction tower so that they could continue the campaign as quickly as possible. On 11 October 2024, the plant was then able to resume beet processing.
