The Swiss sugar industry is expecting significantly higher yields this year as a result of favourable weather conditions in sugarbeet cultivation.
The measured beet yields of around 59 and 55 tonnes per hectare in the western and eastern sample plots respectively are at least ten tonnes higher than the five-year average, the Agricultural Information Service said in a statement.
Sugar content is also reported to be well above average. At more than nine tonnes per hectare, the calculated sugar yield could be higher than at any time in the past ten years. The forecast figures are based on initial samples taken at the end of July.
The sugarbeets benefited from the warm and dry spring. In addition, the beet bodies gained considerable weight thanks to moist and warm conditions in June. However, experts point out that diseases or a lack of rain in the next four weeks could reduce the harvest.
The Swiss sugarbeet industry is struggling, with the area under cultivation continuing to decline. Diseases, stricter regulations on pesticides and a low sugar price have reduced the attractiveness of such crops in recent years.
In March, the Swiss parliament decided to support domestic sugar production with subsidies. In Switzerland, around 4,000 farms rely on sugarbeet in their crop rotation.