It is the result of a price that holds on the market and which makes beetroot affordable again. And this is the initial analysis of the Veneto Confagricoltura which saw investments in the sector increase by 30%. In the region there are over 8,500 hectares in cultivation, a clear increase compared to the 6,600 hectares in 2023. An excellent result, considering that not all producers managed to sow in time between February and March, due to bad weather.
“This year we have 30% more beets grown – explains Carlo Pasti, president of the beet growing sector of Confagricoltura Veneto -. The reason is that the European price of sugar has risen to 600-700 euros per ton compared to 380-400 a few years ago. Last year the Coprob cooperative, which brings together beet producers and owns the two remaining Italian sugar factories, Pontelongo in the Padua area and Minerbio in the Bolognese area, earned an average of 950-1,000 euros per ton of sugar. As a result, beets were also paid better, going from 33-34 euros to 60 euros per ton. Meanwhile, the price of cereals has collapsed and therefore beetroot has become an excellent alternative. And this is a good thing, because cultivation in Veneto has always been important. Confagricoltura has always supported beet growing for the important agronomic value it preserves within crop rotations and also for the presence in the area of one of the few remaining production sites in Italy, represented by the Pontelongo plant”.
In the region, investments are mainly concentrated in the provinces of Rovigo (2,600 hectares, 2023 data from Veneto Agricoltura) and Venice (2,300 hectares), followed by Padua (1,060 hectares), which together represent almost 90% of the regional hectares. In Veneto, however, we are now working well, with the plant that processes beets in the province of Padua – says Pasti -. In Italy we and Emilia-Romagna produce the bulk of the beets, but something is starting to be done between Piedmont, Lombardy, Friuli Venezia-Giulia and Marche. The objective is to reach 32,000-34,000 hectares, because the sugar factories each have a processing capacity of 16,000 hectares, but if they go below the fixed costs become high. The Coprob cooperative, owner of the sugar factories, brings together around 4,000 producers, for a beet growing area of 29,000 hectares. We hope to return to producing 240,000-250,000 tons of sugar, providing a raw material that Italy needs, being only 20% self-sufficient”.
The sugar obtained is marketed in Italy, under the “Italia Zuccheri” brand. “It is a product in great demand, even if it has a slightly higher cost than the imported one – states the president -. The difference lies in respect for the environment and working contracts, without exploitation of the workforce. Italian industries appreciate our effort and use our product, indicating it on the label, rewarding us with a few extra euros”.
Stefano Casalini, president of the beet growers section of Confagricoltura Rovigo, confirms the good moment for the sector: “Beetroot this year is giving us an extra opportunity to cultivate, because with cereals we are caught in a vice between high costs and prices falling. It was absolutely necessary to diversify, and therefore the companies expanded the surface area, counting on Coprob’s proposal which maintained an attractive price for producers. Not everything went well, because the sowing was significantly disturbed by the weather. Some farmers managed to sow in the optimal period, i.e. between the end of February and the beginning of March, while others did so late until the end of April. We hope that the result is good for everyone. Polesine is the cradle of beetroot in Veneto and until the end of the nineties we had several sugar factories. In the 2000s, the EU sugar reform led to the closure of the factories, including the flagship ones in Contarina and Bottrighe, but fortunately the nearby one in Campolongo, in the Padua area, remained and woe betide anyone who will lose it. The Po Delta continues to be the most suitable land for cultivation, but also the middle Polesine, from Polesella to Villadose, sees many companies involved in production. In the Alto Polesine, beetroot has disappeared somewhat, even if some historic companies in the sector persist”.
