Beet growers in Germany are increasingly turning to organic farming, for example, in Lower Saxony, and more recently in Bavaria.
According to the Association of Farmers, organic beets were first grown in 2017. Then 30 farmers occupied 200 ha with this crop.
Since then, the area of cultivation of organic root crops and the demand for it from the food industry have grown steadily. In 2018, there were already 45 farmers who cultivated beets on 350 hectares. In 2019, the area doubled compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, Südzucker also first began to process organic raw materials in its northern Swabian city of Rhine am Lech in Bavaria. According to Bayerischer Rundfunk, growing root crops in the region is very profitable.
Demand for organic products is growing, and the price is three times higher than for ordinary products. To date, organic sugar in Germany is produced only in Warburg, Westphalia.
At the plant in Rhine am Lech, only organic beets will be processed for several days before the traditionally grown root crops go on the line until January. Production facilities were cleaned over the summer. This ensures that at the beginning of the campaign, organic beets will not come in contact with regular products.
