
Unseasonally late frosts across much of France during the first week of April may have caused severe damage to some 10% of newly planted sugar beet crop which is likely to necessitate replanting.

France – 2020/21 campaign – Early indications show disastrous fall in sugar beet production from yellow virus infection [Full subscriber]
With the 2020/21 campaign underway, the French sugar beet research institute ITB says that nationally, beet yields will be down by 17% compared to the five-year average, dropping to 72 t/ha with the sugar content of 16%. This may be a conservative figure, according to local press reports.

France eases ban on neonicotinoids to help beet growers [Full subscriber]
French lawmakers approved on 6th October a draft bill allowing sugar beet growers to use neonicotinoids that were banned to protect honeybees. The National Assembly adopted the bill by 313 votes in favour and 158 against.

France – New plant will gasify hemp into valuable energy products [Full subscriber]
The French startup Qairos Energies says it plans to build a plant in Mareil-en-Champagne near Le Mans in northwestern France that will gasify hemp biomass into valuable products.

France – ANSES approves the use of aphicide Teppeki on sugar beet [Full subscriber]
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) authorized in late April the use of Teppeki (flonicamid) from the 2-leaf stage of beetroot to fight against the green aphids which cause virus yellows. The approval came following representations by the beet growers body CGB.

France – The bioethanol market is collapsing amidst coronavirus lockdown [Full subscriber]
Sales of fuel ethanol is plummeting in France as travel restrictions has resulted in gasoline consumption dropping by more than 75% according to a statement from the French bioethanol industry group SNPAA.

France – Soaring demand drives sales of fuel ethanol [Full subscriber]
Ethanol sale in France should continue to rise sharply this year after reaching a new record in 2019, mostly boosted by tax breaks and wider availability in petrol stations, according to the French ethanol producer group SNPAA, reported Reuters.

France – Tereos invests €17 million in upgrading Connantre plant’s beet-washing station [Registered]
Tereos is investing €17 million in a new beet-washing station at its largest plant. Scheduled to be operational by 2021, the unit will support processing of 28,000 tonnes of beet a day, compared to 24,000 currently. The current washing station was built in 1975.

Germany, UK and France report increased beet yields in 2019 [Full subscriber]
Germany’s sugar production is set to rise 1.6% on the year to 4.26 million tonnes in the 2019-20 (October-September) season according to the first crop estimate released on 10th September by the sugar industry association WVZ.

La Réunion and Guadeloupe cane sectors granted €38 million by France [Full subscriber]
The French government has renewed for one year the state aid to La Réunion and Guadeloupe’s sugarcane-sugar sector to the sum of €38 million to compensate for the end of sugar production quotas in Oct 2017, according to the recent announcement by the Ministries of Agriculture and Overseas.