Frost is not the sun: frosts destroyed 12% of sugar beet crops
Farmers began to calculate losses from the spring frosts, which swept across Russia. 120 thousand hectares of sugar beet out of more than 1 million hectares sown have already suffered from the effects of temperature fluctuations — they will have to be replanted, the Union of Sugar Producers told Izvestia. In addition, the southern regions of Russia may lose up to half of the harvest of apricots, peaches, cherries and plums. The Ministry of Agriculture noted that they had warned farmers about a decrease in temperature so that they could take action.
Which crops were affected by recurrent frosts
Agricultural producers have begun to calculate the consequences of the frosts that continue in Russia. In April and May, they caused damage to sugar beet crops on an area of more than 120 thousand hectares, the chairman of the Board of the Union of Sugar Producers of the Russian Federation (Soyuzrossakhar) told Izvestia Andrey Bodin.
— Of course, there will be a re-sowing, we have the seeds for this. A situation survey is currently underway on the ground. But personally, we don't see any risks for the harvest and the country's sugar supply," the business representative explained.
According to the union, crops in the Belgorod and Lipetsk regions suffered the most from frosts. In addition, the authorities of the Kursk region announced the death of this vegetable crop on an area of 2.5 thousand hectares. At the same time, on May 5, 2025, as reported in Soyuzrossakhara, farmers sowed just over 1 million hectares of sugar beet.
In addition, as a result of low temperatures, 50% of the harvest of fruit trees (apricots, cherries, peaches, plums) was at risk of loss Stavropol Territory, the authorities of the subject reported. To a lesser extent, apple and pear trees suffered from low temperatures. The assessment of damage to agriculture in the region continues.
Crop losses of fruit trees are also recognized in the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea, but damage estimates vary there. As the head of the Union of Horticulturalists of Russia in the Crimea, Tatiana Oleinik, told Izvestia, the death of the stone fruit crop can be up to 40%. But in the Krasnodar Territory, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, they can reach up to 15%.
According to the farmers themselves, the situation is more sad.
— Only the late pears, quinces and apple trees survived, and everything else — apricots, plums, cherries, figs — froze. Of course, the situation is different everywhere, depending on the area and its location. For example, someone planted potatoes earlier, they also suffered and there will be no harvest. Therefore, the damage is very significant, no less than in the Crimea," Nikolai Maslov, a farmer from the Krasnodar Territory, explained to Izvestia.
The frosts also affected potato producers.
— We thought that the season for the appearance of new potatoes would start ahead of time, as it was a very warm spring, but now, apparently, it starts on an average basis. Although in some regions, such as the Bryansk and Kursk regions, there are more other factors complicating seasonal field work," the chief of staff of the Potato and Vegetable Market Participants Union (Potato Union) told Izvestia Tatiana Gubina.
A small part of the planted potatoes in the Astrakhan region, where they have already sprouted, was affected by the frosts, the industry representative explained. In the central regions of Russia, early potatoes were planted, but they did not germinate.
— Therefore, while we are waiting and watching how the weather situation will develop, — said Tatiana Gubina.
The Union of Horticulturalists of Russia told Izvestia that it was too early to sum up the results of the frosts, as they were still ongoing.
— We live in a risky farming area, so there is nothing surprising about what is happening with the weather today. There are damages in some regions and none in others. So far, we can say for sure that they were more serious last year, when the frosts were very prolonged at very low temperatures during the flowering period of fruit trees," explained Vladimir Tumanov, head of the NGO.
At the same time, he noted that, for example, in the Moscow region there is a freezing of cherry and cherry blossoms in some places up to 50%. But considering that the berries of these trees come from only 5% of the flowers, and the remaining 95% are insurance funds, this is not critical, added Vladimir Tumanov.
Did farmers have time to prepare for the frosts
The Ministry of Agriculture reported that it had warned farmers about the climate threat.
— Recurrent frosts in a number of regions of the Central and Volga Federal Districts were predicted in advance. To minimize their consequences, the Ministry of Agriculture instructed the regional agribusiness management bodies in advance to take all necessary measures, the press service of the department told Izvestia.
As a result, agricultural producers carried out a complex of agrotechnical measures, including smoking, covering, watering, and amino acid treatment.
— It is possible to analyze the damage caused by recurrent frosts solely based on the results of an examination of agricultural crops after the temperature regime has stabilized. Accordingly, it is currently premature to draw conclusions and assess possible damage," the ministry explained.
The head of the department, Oksana Lut, while on a visit to North Ossetia on May 5, said that the frosts of the first wave mainly affected gardens in Krasnodar, Stavropol territories, Crimea and Adygea. However, according to her, "the damage is relatively small compared to last year."
The second wave of frosts, as she noted, is still ongoing, and mainly affected the center of the Volga region. According to preliminary data, there will be a decrease in fruit yield by 10-15% for individual farms, but in general everything is going according to the plan of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The president of the National Union of Agricultural Insurers, Korney Bizhdov, told Izvestia that the situation with frosts this year is different from 2024, when low temperatures came in May after a long period of abnormal heat in April, which provoked premature plant development.
— Last year, cold weather covered the entire most fertile zone of the European part of the Russian Federation with a wide band, which led to massive losses. In 2025, temperature fluctuations — waves of abnormal heat, followed by cooling — began in earlier periods, when it was not so dangerous for winter and perennial crops. From autumn to the middle of winter, concerns were expressed about a shortage of cumulative precipitation in the chernozem zone and a number of regions in the south, but since the end of winter, this factor has been improving, precipitation has begun. Therefore, in the current season, we predict the occurrence of individual, local, not massive, cases of damage," Bizhdov explained.
According to him, the current agro-climatic situation is diverse, the picture may vary even within the same region.
— The NSA insurance companies have not received a number of damage notifications comparable to last year, and we do not expect a repeat of last year's situation. Based on the period and nature of frosts this year, they could most of all damage fruit trees of early flowering — these are stone fruits in some southern regions, damage to vineyards is possible. Large-scale damage to winter grains is practically excluded, rapeseed may suffer. As for spring crops, in more southern regions, where sowing started early, in some cases it may be necessary to replant — for example, the Kursk region announced the need to replant sugar beet, — said Korney Bizhdov.
There will definitely be fewer fruits and berries this year, as nature turned out to be very sophisticated this spring, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Leonid Kholod told Izvestia. First, in April, there was a wave of recurrent frosts in the southern regions of Russia — Rostov, Volgograd regions, Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Stavropol, where, according to a number of estimates, up to 50% of the harvest of cherries, peaches, apricots, and plums was affected. Then in May, when flowering began in the regions of central Russia, the second wave of frosts began in these regions, where fruit trees were also affected, he noted.
According to him, winter crops and other crops that are more resistant to cold temperatures will be least affected by frosts.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
