More than 60% of the sugar beet crop is destroyed by the drought, the country’s largest sugar producer, Südzucker Moldova, discovered as it kicked off its harvesting effort.
The company planted more than 8,000 hectares of sugar beet and expected a yield of 42 tonnes per hectare. But due to the severe drought this summer, the company now predicts a third of that.
“The impact of the drought has put us in a difficult situation. We find that this production shortage will affect the Moldovan sugar industry and put additional stain on the entire agricultural sector. We are talking with our partners to find solutions to mitigate the effects of this crisis. We are trying to identify measures that support and protect farmers”, said Valeri Nicușor, chief administrator of Agro-SZM, a subsidiary of Südzucker Moldova.
Anatolie Gorodeno, Südzucker’s director for raw materials, agrees that the situation “is dramatic” for the entire industry. “This year, investment per hectare ranged from 35,000 to 40,000 lei. Farmers who will harvest around 16 tonnes per hectare will lose about 25-30,000 lei per hectare. We are engaged in a constructive and continuous dialogue with the authorities to explore measures to subsidize the sugar beet sector. To ensure a sustainable development of agriculture, it is crucial to implement a modern and efficient irrigation system. In the absence of such an infrastructure, the agricultural sector will continue to face severe challenges”, said the director.
