The State Hydrometeorological Service forecasts an average sugar beet harvest of 25-28 tonnes/ha this year, as opposed to 22-25 tone/ha last year. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture anticipates a higher harvest, of 31 tonnes per hectare, IPN reports.

As many as 537,000 tonnes of sugar beet were harvested last year. The largest harvest was gathered in 2014, when it totaled over 1.3 million tones and 50 tonnes per hectare. The lowest sugar beet harvest was recorded in 2009, of about 300,000 tonnes overall and 17 tonne/ha. The average crop during the last ten years was 31 tonnes/ha.

According to the forecast of the Ministry of Agriculture, over 700,000 tonnes of sugar beet are to be collected this year. About 100,000 tonnes of sugar can be made from this quantity. Up to 80,000 tonnes of sugar are consumed in the country, while the rest will be exported. The concentration of sugar is expected to be 14%.