Sugar production rises 6.7% to 110.52 lakh tonnes in Oct-Dec 2018

501 sugar mills operation as end December 2018

As on 31 December 2018, 501 sugar mills were in operation in the country and have produced 110.52 lakh tonnes of sugar, as compared to 103.56 lakh tonnes produced by 505 sugar mills as on 31 December 2017. The slightly higher production of 6.96 lakh tonnes is because Maharashtra and Karnataka sugar mills started their crushing earlier this year. However, due to substantially lower rainfall and white grub infestation, Maharashtra will produce significantly lower quantity this year as compared to last. Overall, the country is expected to produce much less sugar this season as compared to last.

In Uttar Pradesh, 117 sugar mills are in operation and they have crushed about 286 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced 31 lakh tonnes as on 31 December 2018, with an average recovery of 10.84%. In 2017-18 SS, 116 sugar mills were in operation on 31 December 2017 and they had crushed around 328 lakh tonnes of cane to produce 33.3 lakh tonnes of sugar with an average recovery of 10.14%. However, the yield per hectare is lower than last season and hence the sugar production in U.P. is estimated to be lower than last season for the whole year.

In Maharashtra, 184 sugar mills, which are in operation, have produced 43.98 lakh tonnes till 31 December 2018, as against 183 sugar mills which produced 38.39 lakh tonnes last year. From the beginning of the season and till 31 December 2018, average sugar recovery% in the State stands at 10.50% as against 10.23% achieved for the corresponding period of 2017-18 SS. Due to lower availability of cane in Maharashtra and early start, the mills therein would be closing much earlier than last year.

In Karnataka, 63 sugar mills are in operation on 31 December 2018, who have produced 20.45 lakh tonnes of sugar, as compared to 16.83 lakh tonnes produced by 63 sugar mills in 2017-18 SS on 31 December 2017.

In Gujarat, 16 sugar mills are operating for 2018-19 SS and they have produced 4.3 lakh tonnes of sugar till 31 December 2018. In 2017-18 SS, 17 sugar mills were in operation on 31 December 2017, who had produced 3.77 lakh tonnes of sugar till that date.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 23 sugar mills have produced 2.15 lakh tonnes of sugar till 31 December 2018. While, 25 sugar mills were in operation on 31 December'2017 who had produced 2.10 lakh tonnes of sugar on the corresponding date.

In Tamil Nadu, 27 sugar mills are in operation as compared to similar number of mills in operation on 31 December last year. Sugar mills in Tamil Nadu have produced 1.40 lakh tonnes of sugar till 31 December 2018 as against 0.96 lakh tonnes produced last year on the corresponding date.

Mills of Bihar have produced 2.30 lakh tonnes, Haryana 1.60 lakh tonnes, Punjab 1.20 lakh tonnes, Uttarakhand 0.87 lakh tonnes and Madhya Pradesh 1.20 lakh tonnes, till 31 December 2018.

Based on satellite images of the remaining harvestable sugarcane area, trend of recovery, yield and drawal percentage of sugarcane achieved so far, ISMA will review the estimate of sugar production for the season 2018-19 SS in the third week of January 2019, and if required revise its estimates.

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