France sugar production has retained its top position in Europe, with total output reaching 4.64 million tonnes in the 2025/26 campaign, according to a report released by Cultures Sucre, the French association representing beet growers and sugar manufacturers. The result places France in line with its recent historical average and reaffirms its standing as the world’s second-largest beet sugar producer, trailing only Russia.
A Strong Recovery in Beet Yields
The 2025/26 campaign saw a meaningful rebound in beet performance. French factories processed a total of 36.3 million tonnes of sugarbeet, grown across 397,400 hectares. Average beet yield climbed to approximately 91 tonnes per hectare, a notable improvement over last season’s 80 t/ha — more than compensating for a modest contraction in planted area.
By comparison, the 2024/25 season saw 32.9 million tonnes of beet processed, yielding 4.58 million tonnes of sugar. This year’s yield gain of roughly 14% drove the overall production increase despite slightly fewer hectares under cultivation.
The French beet growers’ union, CGB (Confédération Générale des Planteurs de Betteraves), attributed the yield improvement to favorable sowing conditions and well-timed rainfall across most growing regions. However, outbreaks of beet yellows virus — a persistent threat to European beet crops — prevented yields from reaching record levels, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability of the sector to viral disease pressure.
France’s Overseas Territories Add to the Total
Beyond metropolitan France, the country’s overseas territories also contributed to national sugar supply through sugarcane production. The islands of Réunion, Guadeloupe, and Martinique collectively harvested approximately 1.8 million tonnes of sugarcane across around 34,600 hectares during the 2025/26 season. This compares to roughly 2 million tonnes harvested from 35,200 hectares in the previous season, reflecting a slight year-on-year decline in the overseas departments and regions (DROM).
EU-Wide Context: Stable Output Amid Structural Pressures
At the European Union level, the European Commission projects 2025/26 beet sugar production at 16.6 million tonnes, broadly unchanged from the prior season. Despite a 10% decline in beet acreage to around 1.4 million hectares across the bloc, improved yields are expected to keep total output stable — a pattern mirroring France’s own experience this season.
Still, the broader outlook for EU sugar remains challenging. Persistently low international sugar prices and rising production costs are squeezing margins for both growers and processors. European sugar industry associations and beet farmer representatives have jointly called on EU authorities to take market stabilization measures, warning that low-cost sugar imports are pulling EU internal prices down toward world market levels and seriously eroding the competitiveness of domestic producers.
Outlook: French Beet Area Expected to Shrink Further
Looking ahead to the 2026 growing season, the pricing environment is already weighing on planting decisions. French beet acreage is forecast to decline a further 4.6%, falling to approximately 379,000 hectares — nearly 5% below the five-year average. Unless market conditions improve or policy interventions materialize, the structural erosion of Europe’s beet sugar base looks set to continue.
