The sugar production in the EU from the 2016/17 harvest is higher than in the previous year but below the multi-annual average. The EU Commission estimates e last Friday that the harvest of white sugar to 9.7% will rise to 16.3 million tonnes. It produces significantly lower the record by 2014/15 than 19.5 million tonnes were.
The sugar beet acreage has been extended this year to 2015/16 2.4%, remains but still 7% below the acreage in the five year average. The below-average production volume will continue to limit the availability of sugar in the EU what is likely to have more imports and rising prices.
For France, it is expected that the many rain of the last few weeks favors the sugar beet harvest, while there will be in the Netherlands and Belgium after heavy rainfalls due to flooding problems. Cold temperatures at the beginning of the growing season had limited in Poland already equal the yield potential. Now, an average harvest is expected there at best.
A drastic restriction of the acreage, which sank to the lowest level for ten years caused large overhangs from the record harvest in the 2014/15 marketing year last season.
