Takac: Sugar Beet Growers to Receive Support Worth €12.48 million in 2026 (2)

Bratislava, 21 July (TASR) - Sugar beet growers will receive support worth €12.48 million in 2026, which represents an increase from last year's €565 per hectare to the current €632.80, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Tuesday, with Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK) chair Jozef Sumichrast, managing director of Slovenske cukrovary sugar refinery Adrian Sedivy and Sugar Beet Growers Association chair Robert Kovacs also attending. "As part of the 2026 campaign, there's a coupled payment for support for sugar beet growers at almost €12.5 million. This year, the direct coupled payment per hectare is set at the highest possible rate permitted by the European Commission under the strategic plan, that is €632.80," said Takac. "Looking at previous years, support per hectare reached €477.80 per hectare in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, we increased it to €565. This year, we're going to have the maximum possible level of €632.80 per hectare because we want to maintain and support sugar beet production, and, secondly, the production of sugar in Slovakia as well," specified Takac. He noted that similar support in the Czech Republic stands at €259.12 per hectare, while in Poland it's €321. According to Takac, sugar beet was grown on 18,000 hectares in 2025, while this year the area will shrink to roughly 12,000 hectares following the departure of a sugar factory [Povazsky cukor in Trencin region - ed.note] from the market. SPPK chair Sumichrast said that sugar beet will continue to be grown in Slovakia despite the closure of the sugar refinery in Trencianska Tepla. "Thanks to investments flowing into what is now the country's only sugar refinery [Slovenske cukrovary, ed.note], there's every reason to believe that sugar beet cultivation in Slovakia will expand," he added. "As growers, we've sown 12,040 hectares with sugar beet," said Kovacs, noting that the area in 2026 stands at around 66 percent of last year's level, when sugar beet was still grown for two sugar refineries. "So, we haven't fallen to 50 percent," he stressed. According to Kovacs, Slovak growers are capable of increasing the sown area from 12,000 to 15,000 hectares. Sedivy added that Slovenske cukrovary's processing capacity has been at 4,800 to 5,000 tonnes of sugar beet per day. "This year, following an investment in production, the processing capacity will increase to somewhere between 5,200 and 5,500 tonnes per day. We're also preparing further projects supported by the Agriculture Ministry with a view to raising the daily processing capacity to 6,000 tonnes next year," added Sedivy. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final four paragraphs. jrg/df