Sugar output up 2.1pc at 7.05 mln tons till Dec 15

Sugar production has increased by 2.1 per cent to 7.05 million tonnes till December 15 of the current marketing year, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said Tuesday.

Sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

Mills had produced 6.9 million tonnes of sugar in the same period of 2017-18 marketing year.

India, the world's second biggest producer, is likely to produce 31.5 million tonnes of sugar in 2018-19 marketing year, slightly lower than 32.5 million tonnes last year, according to ISMA forecast.

Sugar consumption is estimated at 26 million tonnes in 2018-19.

"As on December 15, 462 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane and they have produced 7.05 million tonnes of sugar, i.e. 2.1 per cent higher than 6.90 million tonnes of sugar produced in the year-ago," the ISMA said in a statement.

Production in Maharashtra, the country's largest sugar producing state, rose to 2.9 million tonnes till December 15 of this year, as against 2.57 million tonnes in the same period last year.

About 176 mills were in operation in the state and the average sugar recovery achieved so far was 10.18 per cent as compared to 10.10 per cent in the year-ago.

Whereas production in Uttar Pradesh, the country's second largest producing state, remained lower at 1.89 million tonnes so far when compared with 2.33 million tonnes in the year-ago.

However the production in Karnataka, the country's third largest sugar producing state, stood higher at 1.39 million tonnes as against 1.12 million tonnes in the year-ago.

"Due to lower than normal rainfall and heavy infestation of white grub in several sugarcane growing districts of Maharashtra, sugar production in some of the important sugarcane growing areas in Maharashtra will be adversely affected and therefore Maharashtra is expected to produce less than last year," the ISMA said.

The production in Maharashtra and Karnataka is slightly higher than last year's period because mills started their sugarcane crushing earlier compared to the previous season, it said.

Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh started their crushing this year slightly late as compared to last year and hence have produced less sugar than the previous sugar season at the same time, it added.

Sugar production in Gujarat stood at 310,000 tonnes, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at 105,000 tonnes and Tamil Nadu at 85,000 tonnes till December 15 of this year.

Sugar output in Bihar stood at 136,000 tonnes, Punjab at 35,000 tonnes, Haryana 90,000 tonnes and Madhya Pradesh 65,000 tonnes so far this year.