Erfurt (dpa/th) - The sugar beet harvest in Thuringia last year remained slightly below the medium-term average. In 2022, 790,700 tons were harvested in the Free State, as the State Statistical Office announced on Monday. Compared to the very high harvest of 2021, that was around 130,300 tonnes of sugar beet or 14 percent less.

On average, farmers reported a hectare yield of 63 tons of sugar beet last year. According to the information, that is around 15 tons per hectare less than in 2021 and four tons less than the long-term average for the years 2016 to 2021. In Thuringia, sugar beets were grown on almost 12,500 hectares last year. The area under cultivation has increased by 700 hectares compared to 2021.