In the current sugar season (October, 2022-September 2023) India’s sugar production falls more than one million tonnes as on 31 March from the same period last year. Sugar production remained at 29.96 million tonnes till March 31, 2023, of the ongoing sugar year, industry body ISMA said on Wednesday. Sugar production stood at 30.99 million tonnes in the same period of the 2021-22 sugar year.
532 mills started operations
According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) in the current sugar season, 532 mills started their operations so far across the country, against 518 mills that operated last season, as of 31st March. On the corresponding date, 338 mills closed their crushing operations in the current season, while 194 sugar mills were still operating in the country. However, in the last season 2021-22, 152 mills had closed their crushing operations and 366 mills were operating as on 31st March’2022.
The production in Maharashtra — the country’s leading producer of the sweetener — remained lower at 10.42 million tonnes during October, 2022-March 31, 2023 of the ongoing sugar season compared to 11.88 million tonnes in the year-ago period.
The production in Karnataka too, the country’s third largest sugar-producing state, showed a marginal decline to 5.52 million tonnes as against 5.72 million tonnes during the comparable period, ISMA said in a statement.
Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s second-largest producer of the sweetener, however, remained marginally higher at 8.9 million tonnes till March 31, 2023 of the ongoing sugar season against 8.75 million tonne in the year-ago period.
The production in other states remained slightly higher at 5.12 million tonnes compared to 4.64 million tonnes. In January, ISMA revised downwards its sugar production estimate for 2022-23 to 34 million tonnes over its earlier estimate of 36.5 million tonnes issued in October 2022. Sugar production stood at 35.8 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year.
Source: The Hindu Business Line