The sugar beet harvest in the Krasnodar region started late due to drought: a production decrease of 25% is expected in August.

According to the latest data from Union Russugar, sugar beet harvesting and processing began at the Ust-Labinsk plant on July 27.

This year, the majority of the territory of the Krasnodar region is suffering from a drought, with precipitation amounting to only 27% of the norm in July. Because of this, the quantity of sugar beet roots is 35% less compared to last year, and the tops have decreased by 75%.

By this date last year, 6 plants were already operating, producing an impressive 6.3 thousand tons of sugar per day.

This year, the plants will start operating 7-10 days later. This will lead to a 25% decrease in production in August compared to last year, totaling approximately 270-290 thousand tons.

Estimates suggest that the harvested sugar beet crop in the region may decrease by 1-1.5 million tons compared to last year when 9.6 million tons were harvested.