We will remember the 2024 sugar campaign as a season marked by extraordinary numbers. While the factory performed exemplarily, the beets faced a challenging year, limiting the full potential of our production tools.

1,100,000 tonnes of beets processed

This year, we worked with just over 1.1 million tonnes of beets—a significant figure but below our usual campaigns, which average around 1.3 million tonnes. Adverse weather conditions were clearly the main reason for this drop.

It all started with late sowing, some as late as June, delayed by over two months due to continuous rain and waterlogged soil. The summer was equally challenging, with little sun and heavy rains, slowing the growth of each plant. The result is clear: smaller beets and a sugar content significantly below our usual standards. A positive point, however: Although the rains continued during the harvesting period, they were not excessive, allowing us to complete nearly all the harvesting before December began.

10,650 tonnes per day: a return to normal

Despite these raw material difficulties, the factory met our expectations and those of our partners. On average, we processed over 10,650 tonnes of beets per day, the highest figure since 2018. This success is a direct result of the investments made in recent years to improve the reliability of our facilities. The proof lies in the fact that the factory experienced almost no unplanned shutdowns throughout the campaign, with the longest interruption lasting only six hours. This performance demonstrates the increasing stability of our production tools, which have now reached remarkable reliability.

103 days of campaign

Ending the campaign before the end of the year was a practice we had almost forgotten. While we would have preferred to continue for another 15 days to maximize production, this early conclusion has its advantages. Starting the mini-campaign right at New Year’s allows us to finish it by early March.

This provides us with a rare opportunity to launch intercampaign work on the upstream part of the factory in January and address the downstream part in March. For the first time in the history of the Fontenoy sugar factory, we will have an intercampaign period exceeding six months. This exceptional window offers promising prospects. We will be able to implement significant improvements to our facilities and approach the next campaign with even more efficient production tools.

Looking ahead to 2025

The 2024 campaign will be remembered for its challenges but also for the successes it allowed us to achieve. Thanks to the increasing reliability of our factory and an extended intercampaign period, we are approaching 2025 with optimism and ambition. A heartfelt thank you to all our teams, whose dedication and professionalism made this campaign a success despite the many challenges. We also extend our gratitude to the farmers and all our partners, whose hard work and collaboration remain at the heart of our success.

By Brieuc

administrator