UP sugar output likely to rise 15%

Uttar Pradesh, the country’s second largest sugar producer, is likely to produce 5.95 million tonnes of sugar in 2010-11 (October-September) as against 5.16 million tonnes estimated this year, a top official of the state’s cane department said on Monday.

India’s sugar output is likely to rise in 2010-11 as farmers planted more cane in the state due to better prices, he said.

On an average, farmers in Uttar Pradesh were paid around Rs 250-290 a quintal for cane.

The official said the state was likely to crush 65 million tonnes of cane in 2010-11 as against 56.6 million tonnes estimated this year.

The final figure for the 2009-10 cane output will be available only by July 15, he said.

V. Govinda Reddy, secretary, South Indian Sugar Mills Association, said mills in Karnataka were likely to produce three million tonnes of sugar in 2010-11, up from 2.5 million tonnes estimated for the year ending September.

“We are estimating sugar output in the state to rise substantially to 2.9-3 million tonnes in the new year because of higher area coverage,” Reddy said.

Good prices paid to farmers, coupled with lower diversion of cane to gur, boosted farmers to plant more cane, he said. Cane output in 2010-11 is expected to be 27 million tonnes as against 22.7 million tonnes estimated for this year, Reddy said.

Sugarcane acreage in the state is likely to rise 15-20 per cent from 2,90,000 hectares, Reddy said. The country as a whole is likely to produce around 19 million tonnes of sugar this year as against an initial estimate of 16 million tonnes.

Maharashtra output up
Maharashtra — the country’s largest sugar producing state — concluded its crushing operations for 2009-10 (October-September) with a total sugar output of 7.1 million tonnes, up 55 per cent from 4.58 million tonnes last year, an official at Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation said.

Mills in the state crushed 61.53 million tonnes of sugarcane this season as against 40.02 million tonnes a year ago, the official said.

“Higher availability of cane this year kept the mills running till June 17. Last year all mills had closed by May,” he added. Crushing in Maharashtra witnessed the average recovery rate increase to 11.53 per cent as against 11.44 per cent last year. Recovery rate indicates the amount of sugar produced by crushing one quintal of sugarcane.

The federation had pegged Maharashtra’s sugar production at 7.1-7.2 million tonnes for the current season, while output is further likely to increase in the 2010-11 season to touch 8.5-8.6 million tonnes. Mills in the state are likely to begin crushing for the next season from October 1 due to a higher availability of cane.