French sugar beet harvest set to fall over 20% after drought and heat

French sugar beet producers have warned that this year's harvest is expected to be more than 20% below the average of the past five years, following a summer of severe drought and extreme heat. The warning came in a joint statement from producer groups, including growers' union CGB and sugar makers Tereos and Cristal Union.

The groups did not provide a specific production or yield forecast for the autumn harvest. However, they noted that the root weight of sugar beets is currently estimated to be 18% below the five-year average, while leaf weight is more than 50% below average. The harsh weather conditions have also encouraged pest attacks and crop disease, raising the possibility that some fields may not be harvested at all.

The impact is not limited to France. Sugar beet is among several summer crops, including maize and potatoes, that have suffered from extreme weather across Europe. The European Union's crop monitoring service, MARS, has reduced its outlook for the average EU sugar beet yield for 2026 to 72.2 metric tons per hectare, which is 5% below the five-year average. For France specifically, MARS projects a yield of 76.5 metric tons per hectare, 7% below average.

Earlier in the summer, the European Commission had already forecast a nearly 15% year-on-year drop in EU sugar production for the 2026/27 season, partly due to farmers cutting plantings in response to low prices.

French producers are now calling on the government to provide aid for the worst-affected farms. They have also been urging authorities to re-introduce a banned pesticide, after a farming bill passed this summer opened the door to exemptions for sectors like sugar beet that are threatened by crop disease.