I’ve seen some big sugar beet but this one has to be the biggest! As you might be able to make out from the mountains in the picture it wasn’t grown in the UK. No, this is beet growing South African style.
Their sugar beet crops in Fish River Valley on the Eastern Cape grow for between nine and 14 months, according to Mike Hendrikse, who sent me the picture. His team started growing beet around ten years ago, first for sugar processing, and now, after discovering that was not going to be economic, to supply an ethanol plant.
This year, they have harvested 150ha of commercial beet, planted to verify a feasibility study that predicted yields of at least 95t/ha. “In the four areas we planted we improved on those predictions comfortably,” Mike reports.
And not only that sugar levels were well in excess of 20%! Apparently their cool winter evenings and warm days suit the growth of beet and promote the accumulation of sugar. You’re telling me….!
For more information see here