This season, sugar beet sowing in Russia began earlier than usual and is ahead of schedule.
According to data for April 2, 2025, sugar beet was sown on an area of 240 thousand hectares, while on April 2, 2024, this figure was 220 thousand hectares.
From this, we can conclude that sowing is ahead of schedule, experts emphasize. Moreover, the sowing rate exceeds the average speed over the past 5 years.
However, the reasons for such early sowing are due to increased risks.
Due to the low-snow winter, which this time took place in a significant part of the country, low moisture reserves have formed in the soil.
In addition, higher temperatures are expected in the spring.
For this reason, farmers are in a hurry to sow, because later it may be very difficult due to problems with a lack of moisture.
It is reported that sowing is currently actively underway in the Southern region of the Russian Federation, as well as the North Caucasus, Central and Volga regions.
In general, despite the difficult conditions, farmers are not losing optimism.
«There is no bad news yet regarding the progress of the sugar beet sowing campaign, according to the data available to us by region,» said leading expert of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies Evgeny Ivanov.
Theoretically, early sowing increases the vegetation period of plants, which can also increase yields. At the same time, this year, low moisture reserves in the soil can negatively affect yields.
Heavy rains could save the situation, but there is no guarantee that they will fall regularly.
The Ministry of Agriculture plans that this season the area under sugar beets will be slightly increased: 1,173 thousand hectares against 1,169 hectares a year earlier.
It is emphasized that increasing the sowing area is entirely feasible, since Russia has managed to establish sugar exports, and at the moment there is still potential for increasing exports.
Moreover, there are even sugar factories that are underutilized.
For this reason, an increase in sowing areas for sugar beets, especially in those regions where there are such factories, is quite likely. First of all, we are talking about the South of Russia and the Central Black Earth Region.
Compared to last year, sowing areas for sugar beets this year may increase by about 4%.
Experts predict that this year, sugar production in Russia may amount to 6.3 million tons, while last season this figure was at 6.9 million tons.
Until August, enterprises will process raw materials from the previous harvest, and then switch to the new one.
