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Cultivation of Sugar Beet
Sugar beet is a large pale brown root crop similar to the parsnip, and has a sugar content of about 17% when it is harvested. It grows in the temperate climate of Europe and North America.
Sugar beet
In the United Kingdom sugar beet provides over half of the sugar we use. The beet sugar industry took off here in the 1920s for two main reasons: firstly to make Britain more self-sufficient in sugar production after the shortages during World War I (1914-1918); and secondly to boost the depressed agricultural industry by giving farmers the opportunity to grow a valuable cash crop.
Today, beet farming takes place mainly in the Eastern areas of England, from Yorkshire to Essex, and in the West Midlands.
Sugar beet is usually grown as part of a rotation with other crops. This system of farming was popularised by a Norfolk landowner called 'Turnip' Townshend in the eighteenth century.
By rotating beet with crops such as wheat, barley and peas, the field can be used every year without a major drop in fertility. Until then, farmers had left a field fallow every third or fourth year to allow the soil to recover before growing the next crop.
Growing Sugar Beet
Preparing the fields for sugar beet begins as early as the autumn when the soil is tested to see if phosphate, potassium and sodium (minerals) need to be applied before ploughing. Sometimes lime is spread on the fields to ensure that the soil is not too acidic.
Sowing generally takes place in late March and early April. Nitrogen fertiliser is applied at this time to help the crop grow, and specialist herbicides may be sprayed over the fields to stop weeds growing.
In the growing and harvesting of sugar beet, timing is critical. The harvesting period, known as the ‘campaign’ amongst farmers, takes place between September and Christmas when the amount of sugar in the beet is at its highest. A delay in harvesting can prove very costly to the farmer as sugar beet is easily damaged by frost. Harvesting is therefore completed as quickly as possible.
Harvesting
Harvesters cut off the top leaves of the sugar beet. The tops are used as animal feed for cattle and sheep or are ploughed back into the land as a natural fertiliser. The root is then cleaned to remove any soil attached to it. Because beet is a heavy and bulky crop, transport distances are kept as short as possible to reduce costs. The sugar factories have therefore been built in the beet growing areas and they are all located close to large towns, which can provide the workforce required.
Map of the world showing the beet growing areas
Cultivation of Sugar Cane
Sugar cane is found in the tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world where it can grow up to five metres in height. The tropics provide the ideal conditions for sugar cane growth. The hot sunny days combined with heavy seasonal rainfall result in the humid conditions that allow sugar cane to thrive. Almost 50% of Britain's sugar comes from these areas.
Each year the six major growing areas produce about 65 million tonnes of raw sugar cane:
| Country |
Million tonnes |
| North America and Caribbean |
19 |
| South America |
14 |
| Far East |
12 |
| Middle East |
10 |
| Africa |
6 |
| Australia |
4 |
Sixty countries produce 70 million tonnes of raw cane sugar each year. The Americas grow as much as 50% of the world's supply of sugar cane.
Map of the world showing the cane producing areas
Farming Sugar Cane
Sugar cane is mainly grown on large farms called plantations. Before cane can be grown the land is prepared by ploughing. Short sections of cane called ‘setts’ are planted and new shoots and roots grow from ‘eyes’ in the sett. After planting, the crop is sprayed with water and fertiliser. A single sett can produce up to seven crops.
It takes between 11 and 18 months for the cane to produce enough sugar for the crop to be ready for harvesting. In the past nearly all cane sugar was harvested by hand using large knives called ‘machetes’. Today many plantations use special machinery to harvest crops. When the cane is harvested it has a sugar content of about 12%. The roots are left in the ground as they will eventually sprout and grow to form the next crop. The new canes are called ratoons.
The cane being transported to the sugar mill for processing
Once the cane is cut it is sent to the sugar cane mill for processing into raw sugar. This has to be done quickly as the crop soon begins to deteriorate in the warm, damp climate.
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