The Taurus beet campaign faced more challenges than ever before in 2023.A year marked by drought and new agricultural policies governing this crop, with new demands making beet production more difficult than ever before.
These production difficulties came at a time when sugar prices reached record highs, largely due to the sugar production gap. quotes sugar This week reflected new international highs, making it the most inflationary product in Spain.open as well.
While the price of sugar for the consumer increased by 50.4% yoy in March, sugar in the futures markets recorded the highest prices in the last five years. Exceeded the highest rates of the last ten years in the international market: It was around 700 euros per ton.
Among the reasons for the high sugar prices in the international market are the gaps in the supply of large producers such as Brazil or India, who direct their production to biofuels, but in the case of the European Union (EU), the agricultural sector points to policies that make it difficult for sugar beet production, which is already affected by drought.
High prices of other foods
High sugar prices bring a forecast of inflation after which other foods may suffer, so the shopping cart may continue to be more expensive: Jams, marmalades, ice creams and honey have already become 19 percent more expensive in one year.
Lorenzo Rivera of COAG explained that Spain has a sugar deficit. In addition, domestic beet production will be endangered this year. with drought Scarce water reserves with more immediate implications in Andalusia, but losses are also feared in Castile y Leon.: Zamora is already beginning to notice the oppressive lack of rain, a phenomenon that jeopardizes crops, including beets.
The UPA warns that sugar prices are just a preview of a market that will face hurdles in the coming months due to lower production than demand for other foods: “This could be in the future with meat or other plant products, we need to be more aware of the requirements and how food production can be stopped”announced David Erice, technician of the agricultural organization UPA.
Agricultural organizations have insisted that environmental requirements are driving up food prices in the EU compared to imports, but citing sugar as an example, they warned of future food supply problems due to declines in production or cattle breeding.
OPAS draws attention once again to the high and increasingly stringent phytosanitary requirements, along with the ban on pesticides such as neonicotinoids: “when it comes to beet production, these are a problem and in countries like France space has dwindled”, in the opinion of Erice, shared by the agricultural organization COAG .