South India might face sugar deficit this season due to lower output

Traders insist on meeting shortage through supply from other states

Sugar mills in south India are likely to face a shortage of sugarcane by the end of the current crushing season in September because of a decline in yield after three years of drought.

The Indian Sugar Mills’ Association (Isma) early this month estimated a 40-50 per cent decline in yield from sugarcane this year due to lower acreage and unfavourable climate. 

India’s second largest sugar producing state, Maharashtra, faced a drought in 2016 that lowered cane yield. The Isma forecast a 50 per cent decline in sugar output in Maharashtra this season to 4.2 million tonnes from 8.42 million tonnes last