In light of the increasing demand for sugar beet farming resulting from the increased production capacity of sugar factories and the expansion of the private sector in production to meet the significant rise in sugar demand, there are still challenges that hinder the industry’s ability to increase the cultivated area for sugar beet crops. These challenges include:

1. Limited Agricultural Land Availability:

The scarcity of available agricultural land for sugar beet cultivation due to fierce competition with other crops, both strategically and for export purposes, poses a significant obstacle. Other crops often have greater appeal to farmers, leading to limited land allocated for sugar beet cultivation.

2. Disease Outbreaks:

In the previous season, sugar beet crops in some small areas were affected by the disease Rhizomania, with a significant amplification of the infection. This led to the search for alternative lands, which resulted in expanding into more distant areas, thereby increasing the transportation costs to excessive levels.

3. Rising Production Costs:

Inflation, which has affected the world in general and Egypt in particular, has led to increased production costs. This, coupled with the absence of fair pricing policies by factories and related services, poses a challenge for farmers in meeting the crop’s requirements.

4. Inconsistent Supply Commitments:

The inconsistent and unfair pricing for both small and large sugar beet farmers has resulted in non-compliance with supply plans, especially in terms of early harvesting. Farmers postpone harvesting in an attempt to increase productivity to compensate for the revenue shortfall. This disruption has caused significant problems in the supply and manufacturing system of sugar beet. Farmers refrain from supplying the crop in the early periods (March and April), leading to a decrease in the amount of beet supplied to factories. Consequently, factories face a loss in production capacity. As a result, there is a backlog of sugar beet in front of factories during the medium and late supply periods (May, June, and July), and factories are unable to process these quantities, resulting in some beet being damaged and a significant loss of sugar production.

5. Lack of Climate Change Awareness:

Many individuals involved in sugar beet farming and industry overlook studying and understanding the impact of climate change on the growth and behavior of sugar beet crops. This oversight can lead to the exposure of crops to climate fluctuations that deviate from the usual environmental system, resulting in fluctuating crop growth, decreased productivity, and reduced sugar content, as well as a decline in the quality represented by the efficiency of extracting white sugar from beetroots.

Based on the aforementioned challenges, the sugar beet farming and industry system in Egypt requires a comprehensive study aimed at increasing local sugar production while utilizing the least possible amount of land and water resources. Additionally, encouraging farmers to engage in early cultivation and supply to coincide with the juice extraction and manufacturing season, commencing in January as it was in the past, would have significant positive benefits for the sugar beet farming and industry system in Egypt.