Beet and sugar pricing in Europe have both turned bearish, forcing farmers to reduce the cultivated area.

Prices for raw beets were down by 35% year-on-year in Europe by February 2025, to 541 euro ($617) a tonne.

This downturn has France’s sugar processor Tereos estimating that farmers in Europe will cut their 2025 planting area by 9%.

Could this decline help buoy worldwide sugar prices which depend on production of both cane and beets? 

According the commercial director of Tereos David Souriau, speaking at a Geneva, Switzerland conference, the effect will be “major.”

A decline here could  have a widespread effect as Europe ranks third in worldwide sugar production.

Extra price support could also come from production declines in non-beet sugar-producing nations such as India and Brazil. 

Tariffs

But will tariffs allow? According to the UK’s National Farmers Union (NFU) via its commercial and market insight manager, Gareth Forber, sugar currently shows “little resistance.”

Hence, both beets and sugar will likely keep their current meager pricing, with sugar at the $17-20 a pound range. 

Low Yields in the UK

Together with acreage reduction across Europe, low yields of beets in the UK could help rally prices in the future. 

In the outgoing 2024-25 season, yields were at 73.2 tonnes per hectare, according to Farmers Weekly. 

On average, production has the potential for 150 to 200 tonnes per hectare, which is not the case now.

This perhaps explains why farmers are now receiving £33 ($44.27) per tonne for their supplies, down from £40 ($53.66).

So many factors are therefore undercutting beet sugar pricing across Europe. Some of these, like shrinking cultivated area due to farmers’ frustration on price, could help steer rates upward. The section below extends the story further by examining beet statistics in Europe.  

Europe Beet Sugar Prices Statistics 

The European Union is the world’s number one producer of beet sugar at 50% of all supplies, according to the European Commission. Although beets make only 20% of the global sugar volumes, in countries like the UK they are the main raw material. Furthermore, the industrialised trio of Germany, France and Poland represents  65% of Europe’s beet area, as of 2020. With such huge global shares, pricing is quite important for the European sector. 

How is raw beet pricing by country in Europe?

Each country in Europe has its independent raw beet pricing. In 2022, for example, the Netherlands led the tally at 64 euro ($73.78) per 100 kg, according to Report Linker. Following suit were Austria at 63.74 euro ($72.78)/100 kg, Portugal at 50.66 euro ($57.77)/100 kg and Germany with 46 euro ($52.45)/100 kg. To illustrate the gulf in pricing, Spain, had half the price of the Netherlands at 30.3 euro ($30.45) per 100 kg. 

How do sugar prices in Europe compare worldwide?  

Raw white sugar in Europe in early 2025 sold at above the world benchmark in London, UK. While in January the price was 559 euro ($637) a tonne in the European Union, in London it was 439 euro ($539). Furthermore, on an annual basis between 2022 and 2024, European sugar pricing has remained elevated vis-á-vis the global equivalent. It reached a high point in 2023 at over 800 euro ($912) a tonne, against a world benchmark of 404 euro ($461).