Guillaume Gandon: “We must rebuild a real European sugar policy”

Could you remind us what the CIBE is and what its notable actions have been in recent years?

In Brussels, the CIBE has the same role as the CGB in France. Its scope of action covers the defense of means of production, the CAP and even market management.

Among our most notable recent actions is the suspension of the inward processing regime (RPA), which will take effect on May 27, and which could have very positive repercussions on the price of European sugar. It is the result of collective action where the CIBE, with the entire sector, worked extensively with Commissioner Christophe Hansen.

A second example concerns the capping of the Ukrainian import quota at 100,000 tonnes of sugar, obtained after several interventions with DG Agri. The European Commission had decided to completely open the market, whereas before the war, Ukraine could only export 20,000 tonnes annually without customs duties. It was open bar for Ukraine who took advantage of it. Imported volumes then rose to 500,000 tonnes of sugar per year, which had disastrous consequences on the European market.

I also went to Ukraine to explain our position to our interlocutors and prepare for the future. We need to get to know each other, because the possibility of Ukraine’s future integration into the EU would be a major issue for agriculture.

How is the new team made up?

I will work in tandem with a Dutch farmer, Arwin Bos, who is also president of the Cosun cooperative. The economic commission, which I chaired until now, will be chaired by Bernhard Conzen (Germany) and Hendrik Vandamme (Belgium), while Krzysztof Nykiel (Poland) and Luigi Maccaferri (Italy) will lead the technical and reception control committee of the CIBE.

What is your program?

My objective is to rebuild a real European sugar policy. Everything is going to hell since the quotas were stopped in 2017: 21 sugar factories have been closed in Europe, farmers have doubts, they are wondering about the place of beet in their rotation. Beetroot no longer pays and it has become very complex to cultivate: we no longer know how to manage insects, weeding… We are going into the wall. We must make a clean slate and start from scratch with the new CAP 2028.

What would be the levers for this new sugar policy?

Manage supply rather than submit to the market! I defend several avenues: improving market monitoring to be more reactive to imports, setting up private storage mechanisms, more reactive control of imports or even the development of ethanol to act as a safety valve in the event of sugar surpluses, as the Brazilians do. And then also maintain contractual supervision.

Certain models can inspire us, such as marketing and import quotas in the United States, the guaranteed minimum price on cane in India, public stocks and control of imports in China, value sharing by interprofessional agreement and the control of the price of ethanol in Brazil or a guaranteed minimum price for planters, as well as value sharing regulated in Thailand.

Do you think you will see good listening in Brussels on this subject?

Yes I think so. The suspension of the RPA shows that DG Agri is beginning to realize the perverse effects of stopping quotas. She becomes aware of the fragility of the system.

I have just said it, all the major regions of the world have a strong sugar policy. All that remains is Europe and Cuba without a real sugar policy. We see what this cost Cuba, which went from a production of 8 Mt in the 1970s to 200,000 tonnes of sugar currently. It hurts me to compare us to Cuba.

We must take advantage of the establishment of the future CAP and the revision of the CMO to rebuild a European strategy. We have a European commissioner who is attentive and willing. There is a shooting window, you have to grab it.

And how do you plan to defend phytosanitary products?

It’s a daily battle. A product like Betanal is under threat. We don’t know if we will still have it in 2027 in the EU. The CIBE will continue to lobby to keep our means of production.

Despite these challenges, what are the advantages of European beet?

Our main strength is our climate, which remains favorable in many regions. In addition, we have made enormous efforts to improve our practices and European beet production is always more virtuous in environmental terms. Europe is the continent of environmental excellence. As long as we stop putting obstacles in our way, we can become competitive again.

I am not taking over the presidency of the CIBE just to manage problems. I am committed because I believe that we can rebuild a resilient and ambitious European sector. Today is the time to react.