Productivity.
Sorghum
the reliable crop.

Sorghum is the rising crop that just won’t stop…

Sorghum is the world’s 5th largest cereal in the world, with 60 to 70 million tons produced each year, and has been part of the agricultural landscape for decades. It is cultivated on all continents, especially in Africa (40 to 50 percent of the world total) as well as in the US (8.2 million tons in 2023/24), Argentina, Australia (which are the main exporting countries alongside the US), China, India, and Mexico (three countries that produce for their own use). Not much grown in Europe until now, sorghum has been rising steadily on this continent over the past few years. The production has fluctuated between 500 000 and 1,1 million tons, depending on the year. Many countries import sorghum (China, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Italy). Increasing sorghum production in Europe is therefore a strategic challenge.

Grain Sorghum Areas in 2023

Russia: 59,500 ha
France: 50,000 ha
Italy: 40,000 ha
Hungary: 37,200 ha
Ukraine: 13,000 ha
Moldavia: 10,000 ha

Romania: 9,000 ha
Spain: 6,700 ha
Austria: 6,700 ha
Bulgaria: 4,500 ha
Slovakia: 4,500 ha
Germany: 3,700 ha
Czech Republic: 300 ha

Feed Sorghum Areas in 2023

Russia: 100,000 ha
France: 30,000 ha
Italy: 25,000 ha
Ukraine: 12,000 ha
Germany: 12,000 ha
Portugal: 11,500 ha
Hungary: 11,000 ha
Moldavia: 10,000 ha

Czech Republic: 6,300 ha
Romania: 5,000 ha
Poland: 4,800 ha
Spain: 4,000 ha
Austria: 4,000 ha
Croatia: 4,000 ha
Slovakia: 4,000 ha
Bulgaria: 2,000 ha

Unique agronomic and pedoclimatic advantages:

Its relatively-short vegetation period, (which makes it a good intermediate crop), its ability to take root in all types of soils, its low fertiliser demand and its ability to adjust to climate change..

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New varieties

Sorghum is one of the crop species to have had its genome sequencing completed, which allows significant genetic variability.



 
Discover star-sorghum

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Competitiveness

Sorghum offers good economic performance and an easy path toward productivity gains: by selecting the best-suited varieties (hybrid, early-growing, etc.) and the most reasoned
technical procedures throughout the growth pathway (seeding dates and density, harvest and conservation stage, etc.).



 
Download a survey of French farmers

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Rotation

Sorghum makes it possible to bring a new crop into the rotation cycle, in a move toward diversifi cation that helps curb weed growth.



 
To know more, watch the video

Accounting results are clear:
sorghum is a great opportunity.

Fabienne Coletti, an Italian farmer, started growing sorghum in 2017 when she converted her farm to organic farming. Two harvests later, she notes that results are convincing both for returns and for profitability.

Risk control

By diversifying their crop production thanks to sorghum, growers can enjoy an additional crop with multiple benefits in the face of unpredictable events (climate, parasite onset, fluctuation in raw materials prices, etc.). All of which make sorghum a particularly reassuring product to have.

Growing yield potential:

Sorghum grains yield 7t/ha in Italy, 5 to 6 t/ha in France, and regularly yield over 10 t/ha in areas with good water supply (rain or irrigation) and in Eastern European countries. Major yield improvement is within easy reach, thanks to hybrid varieties… A gene-based offer for all regions: grain sorghum, fodder sorghum whether single-cut or multi-cut… Thanks to the vitality of Europe’s growers, new varieties have been created to fulfil the needs of all farmers and all outlets.

The main assets of sorghum for farmers

At the initiative of Sorghum ID, Arvalis-Institut du végétal and the ProSorgho association, a survey was recently conducted among a hundred French grain sorghum producers to better understand their motivations for producing sorghum. The sample represents several production basins: notably the South-West (the historical cradle of sorghum growing in France) and the Poitou-Charentes Loire Valley (where cultivation has been progressing for several years).
On average, 4 main arguments emerge: low water input, profitability, diversification, ease of technical itinerary.

But farmers also appreciate sorghum for its hardiness, its ability to break the cycle of diseases and weeds, the fact that it does not require specific equipment, that it improves soil structure, that it is not time-consuming, that it makes it possible to develop land with low potential … In other words, as soon as they try it, farmers adopt sorghum.

 

Download a survey of French farmers

Others benefits

Showing respect forour environment. Sorghum the reliable crop.

European Genetics. Sorghum the reliable crop.