Moldova. More than 60% of sugar beet is affected by drought

Südzucker Moldova, the largest sugar producer in Moldova, has announced the start of its sugar beet harvesting campaign for 2024. The company faced serious challenges as 60% of the crop was affected by drought. This year, Südzucker Moldova planted more than 8 thousand hectares of sugar beet, from which it was expected to harvest 42 tons per hectare. However, due to the severe drought, only a third of the planned volume will be harvested, which is a decrease of more than 60% from the initial forecasts.

Valeri Nicuşor, the administrator of Agro-SZM, a subsidiary of Südzucker Moldova, said that this crop deficit will affect the sugar industry and add pressure to the entire agricultural sector. The company is looking for solutions to help mitigate the effects of the crisis and support farmers.

Anatolie Gorodenco, Director of the Raw Materials Department at Südzucker Moldova, emphasized that this year the company invested 35 to 40 thousand lei (7.8-8.9 thousand dollars) per hectare, but due to the low yield of 16 tons per hectare, farmers suffer losses of 25-30 thousand lei per hectare (5.6-6.7 thousand dollars). The company is in active dialogue with the government about subsidizing the sugar beet sector and emphasizes the need to create a modern irrigation system for sustainable agricultural development.

Vyacheslav Oliynyk, the company’s agronomist and chief executive, who has been working in the industry for 45 years, said that the current situation is unprecedented in the last 50 years and has a serious impact on production.

Tags: sugar, Moldova