The start of each sugar harvest marks the beginning of a period of hectic activity in the fields, on the roads and, of course, in sugar factories, in sugar beet regions. The many uses and outlets for sugar

Sugar harvest

Sugar forms naturally in plants through a process of chlorophyll synthesis. Sugar beet is able to store large quantities of sugar in its root. The heat is on... The starting point for each new sugar harvest is the same for sugar processing plants across mainland France. To start with, a long gas burner is placed at the base of a lime kiln to begin the combustion process.


A heap of limestone is mixed with coke (from coal) inside the tall kiln. It takes three days for the temperature to reach 1,200°C to transform the limestone into quicklime, an essential element of producing sugar from sugar beet. Three days before the arrival of the first beet in sugar plants...

At a glance

France is one of the world’s two leading producers of beet sugar, producing around 4 million tonnes a year. A major component of the national agri-food industry, the French sugar sector employs almost 45,000 people, supplies numerous industries and contributes to the development of biofuels. And that’s without mentioning the sugar we consume in our diets, which is an essential part of everyday life. Sugar beet cultivation covers 371,000 hectares in France (2009/2010 harvest).


Benefiting from major technical and agronomic advances, sugar beet is the most efficient large-scale farming plant in Europe in terms of yield and respect for the environment. It is grown primarily for its high sugar content, but it also suitable for food and non-food uses, from the production of alcohol and biofuels to new green chemistry compounds. Thanks to its many uses, this exceptional plant is a major agro-industrial resource with a key role to play in meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

Multiple uses

The sugar harvest begins in late September or early October, depending on the region and the weather conditions that particular year, and continues at full speed until the end of the year. These few weeks of intensive and constant work require complex preparation. Half of the sugar produced is used by the food industry, far outstripping its direct use as table sugar. Sugar is also used for non-food purposes by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.


Sugar is extracted from beet roots in sugar processing plants using mechanical processes. These vast industrial sites are located close to where the sugar beet is grown. Some co-products of the sugar process (sugar juice, treacle, etc.) can be fermented and distilled to obtain ethyl alcohol for food and non-food use. A large proportion of this alcohol is used to produce biofuels (bioethanol) that helps promote France’s energy independence.


Sugar beet cultivation covers more than 300,000 hectares in France, mainly north of the Loire river. The crop is generally harvested between September and late December. With yields of 13 tonnes of sugar per hectare and increasingly environmentally-friendly production methods, the French sugar beet sector is one of the most efficient in the world.

Beet Intercampaign

As we mentioned previously, sugar processing plants produce sugar for three months of the year. From October to December, they operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s not to say that they stand idle for the other nine months of the year.


Although the plants work at a more ”normal” rate, stopping at the end of the day, sugar processing plants take advantage of this period, known as the “intercampaign”, to repair and modernize their equipment.   The cooks, boiler operators and evaporation assistants become electricians, welders, painters and builders.

All hands on deck

All staff, previously part of the processing team, help out. This work needs to be performed particularly carefully because once the machines have been cleaned, all equipment is checked to prepare the groundwork for its upkeep, maintenance and repair.


The fact that staff share a number of technical skills highlights one of the specific aspects of sugar production: people often have two jobs. An operator of a particular stage of the sugar extraction process during the campaign, once the beet has been processed, each member of the production team becomes a specialist technician - a mechanic, adjuster, boiler operator, electrician, builder, etc.

Multi-skilled employees

Some plants choose to produce new equipment themselves, including high-tech equipment, from site selection to application.


Meanwhile, other sugar processing plant employees continue their activities, particularly in the packaging workshops, where the “Chambon” machines form carefully-calibrated sugar sections for boxing, where the different types of sugar sold to consumers (caster sugar, icing sugar, etc.) are packaged and where the orders for industrial users are prepared, from 20 g sacks to one tonne “big bags”.

Human resources

Preparations are made well before the harvest, with the recruitment of seasonal workers. The purchasing department is no exception: staff manage supplies (energy sources, production assistants, etc.) and organise, in partnership with local transporters, the fleet of lorries that will transport hundreds of thousands of tonnes of beets from the fields to the sugar processing plant. Lastly, in the field, specialist technicians supervise the cultivation of the beets and assess the yields, in partnership with the beet growers.


During the weeks running up to the sugar harvest, the teams take part in the “no-load” operation of the sugar processing plant, when the equipment is tested and checked under real operating conditions, validating each operation performed during the intercampaign period. Once the tests have been successfully completed, the machinery is fully operational and the employees are ready for action. The new harvest can begin.