Team Blitz India
INDIA’S sugar production has been higher than expected this year after the completion of cane crushing at most of the mills with a late pick-up in rains raising output. Cane production in Maharashtra has jumped to 11 million tonnene, up from 10.53 million tonnene produced last year.
With most of the country’s sugar mills having now completed crushing for the 2023-24 season, output so far stands at 31.59 million metric tonnene, according to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF).
This is down 1.8 per cent from the previous full year, but already above the 29 million metric tonnene which was expected at the start of the current season due to drought in Karnataka and Maharashtra. A handful of mills are still left to report, with around two dozen of the 532 mills operational this season still in action, including two in top sugar-producing state Maharashtra and 13 in Uttar Pradesh, said an official All mills in Karnataka and Gujarat have completed cane crushing. November rains helped the sugarcane crop, and yields improved. Production in Karnataka is estimated at 5.26 million tonnene, lower than last year’s 5.8 million tonnene but above initial estimates.
However, output in Uttar Pradesh is expected to remain low with production so far around 10.4 million metric tonnene against a forecast of 11.5 million tonnene sugar this year. Output still to be reported is likely to be marginal, according to a senior industry official. Red rot disease hit the cane crop in the state, while cane was diverted to produce alternative sweeteners such as jaggery.
