2025
The beet-growing segment in Ukraine, after certain declines and reflections, has now structured itself. Sugar beet is grown mostly by enterprises with great experience, professional approaches, and an innovative vision, which cooperate with sugar plants modernised according to the requirements of the time. Climate changes have affected technologies, just as the economy and the requirements of processors have. Farmers approach hybrid selection more meticulously and carefully, clearly formulating their needs. And breeding companies respond accordingly to these demands.
We talked about these trends, as well as about changes in the company's activity, new items in the product portfolio and the vision of the next season, with Oleksandr Melnyk, general director of SESVanderhave-Ukraine.
SuperAgronom.com: Your company has been on the Ukrainian market for over 30 years, the SESVanderHave brand is well known to sugar beet producers and valued for European quality. But now certain structural changes are taking place in the life of the company — both the Ukrainian and the Belgian one. Tell us about them.
Oleksandr Melnyk: A year ago the company UBS (United Beet Seeds) was created — by combining the experience, knowledge and efforts of large seed-breeding companies that work in the direction of creating and developing high-yielding sugar beet. The company united the leading European brands SESVANDERHAVE, MARIBO, HILLESHÖG. All key types of activity for these brands, including variety selection and breeding, registration and sales, will now take place under the aegis of UBS.
UBS carries out commercial activity in Ukraine through our company SESVANDERHAVE-Ukraine LLC, which is entered in the State Register of Seed Producers and has the status of a seed-production entity. Let me remind you that SESVANDERHAVE is one of the leaders on the global sugar beet market, and likewise occupies a large share of the European market.
The creation of UBS is a condition of the time, a demand of the market and producers. The environment is changing so much that farmers, our consumers, need more and more new hybrids that meet the time, conditions, climate changes, production requirements, etc. The companies combined primarily their scientific efforts. Instead of waiting for a new hybrid to reach the market in 5-6-7 years, from now on there is the possibility of a new product appearing every 2 years, at least we plan that this will be so in Ukraine.
Overall, the new company UBS is currently more than 1000 employees, 6 plants, 2 research centres, various growing zones.
SuperAgronom.com: What motivated the decision on such a merger?
Oleksandr Melnyk: Competition between breeding companies led to a situation where scientific research and development could be duplicated. Neither the brands themselves nor the consumers benefited from this. To harmonise such activity, a decision was made on a merger and working out the most relevant challenges together.
SuperAgronom.com: What advantages will such a merger bring directly to sugar beet producers?
Oleksandr Melnyk: I can explain on the example of the United Beet Innovation Centre (UBIC), located in the Belgian city of Tienen. In it we conduct research on future sugar beet varieties/hybrids for any region and climate where this crop is grown. And if developing a new variety usually takes 10 years, then in UBIC we can get the final product faster than ever in the history of plant breeding. Here we conduct the most precise analysis under various climatic conditions, soil types, a wide spectrum of pests and diseases, agronomic measures (nutrition, protection, etc.).
After the merger of the companies, all breeding material will be tested in this centre and beet growers of all countries will be able to obtain the necessary genetic material faster.
SuperAgronom.com: In Ukraine this brand will be represented by your company?
Oleksandr Melnyk: Yes, our experience and capabilities give us this possibility. In particular, our seed-growing sites, which are located in Bessarabia, near the Danube, where there are the best conditions for sugar beet seed production. Even under the difficult conditions of the current year we obtained a quality harvest and its processing is currently ongoing at our seed plant. Here we polish, calibrate and pellet the seed for Ukrainian producers.
Moreover, we do the treatment even to the client's order — in the doses they need by active ingredient, if it is necessary to solve certain problems with increased threats from pests or diseases.
SuperAgronom.com: And what advantages will domestic farmers specifically get from the merger of the European breeding brands?
Oleksandr Melnyk: The most important thing is access to adaptive, resistant to relevant diseases, high-yielding and high-sugar hybrids from the "treasury" of the united company. We reviewed our hybrid portfolio, analysed the newest developments of the UBC brand registered in the EU (or the USA), and will bring to the Ukrainian market those that best meet the needs of domestic beet growers. Over the last few years we have renewed the product portfolio for the Ukrainian market by 85%, modernising it for modern requirements — it currently contains hybrids created for the latest technologies and modern climatic risks.
I will note that it is currently much simpler for us to register new hybrids in Ukraine, without waiting 3 years. Products already registered in Europe, we can register in Ukraine in 3-4 weeks, bring in the parent forms, and multiply them to F1 seed. That is, in one year one can already have a sufficient amount of seed of the newest or scarcest hybrid. Accordingly, new items will reach the market annually.
We can track the results for one or another hybrid in the top countries of Europe, with different conditions (in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain) and choose those that perform best, and accordingly offer them to Ukrainian producers from regions with similar conditions or characteristics. With drought tolerance, for example — one of the most relevant characteristics.
SuperAgronom.com: Tell us about a few new items, the most promising for Ukraine.
Oleksandr Melnyk: The new favourites of 2025 are the hybrids ASPEN, HAMELEON, FITIS. Say, ASPEN is a variety that is harmonised in high yield and sugar content (NZ-type), productive under dry conditions. Resistant to rhizomania and cercospora (9), partially resistant to beet "rubberiness" and to root rots. HAMELEON was the sales leader in Spain in 2024, remains highly productive even under dry conditions, resistant to stresses, highly tolerant to cercospora and rhizomania.
Among the hybrids for the Conviso Smart system (i.e. resistant to ALS inhibitors) I can single out KAPRA SMART, PRIMOT SMART, etc.
I will note that no cardinal changes in the product portfolio are planned. Ukrainian beet growers will still be able to grow the hybrids they have already "come to love", and in parallel new items will be introduced under the UBS brand and over time a gradual renewal of the entire portfolio will take place. Although on the packaging of the seed that our producers will sell, in particular under the SESVANDERHAVE brand, there will already be a Powered by UBS mark.
SuperAgronom.com: In Ukraine you cooperate closely with LNZ Group and it will be the exclusive partner for the sale of the trademarks SESVANDERHAVE and SEEDEX. What are the advantages of such cooperation for you and for domestic farmers?
Oleksandr Melnyk: We work with LNZ because we see them as decent partners, with whom we have been cooperating for more than 20 years. Secondly, LNZ is a very strong, highly professional team. With them one can quickly resolve issues to satisfy clients' needs. Therefore we entrust them with the sale of our products. And such cooperation also significantly facilitates the introduction of a new brand to the market and its recognisability.
SuperAgronom.com: And what are the forecasts for the sugar beet segment in Ukraine for the next season? Is there already any preliminary data on areas and, accordingly, farmers' seed needs?
Oleksandr Melnyk: I think in the 2026 season sugar beet sowing areas will be approximately 190 thousand ha. This is in fact at the level of the current year. We are ready for the new season and our seed plant is currently working 24/7, all orders will be fulfilled, Ukrainian farmers will be provided with seed material.
