Sugar output up 30% at 69.4 lt so far in 2017-18 season

India's sugar production rose 30 per cent to 69.4 lakh tonne during the first two and half months of the current marketing year on higher cane output, according to industry body ISMA.
Sugar marketing year runs from October to September.
Mills have produced 69.40 lakh tonne of sugar till December 15 of the 2017-18 marketing year as compared to 53.46 lakh tonne in the corresponding period of the previous year, Indian Sugar Mills Association said in a statement.
As on December 15, 2017, 469 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane for the year 2017-18 against 449 mills last year same time, it added.

ISMA has pegged sugar output of India, the world's second largest producer, at 251 lakh tonne in 2017-18 against 203 lakh tonne in the previous year.
As per the data, mills in Maharashtra have produced 25.50 lakh tonne of sugar till December 15, up from 17.25 lakh tonne in the year-ago period.

In Uttar Pradesh, production rose to 23.37 lakh tonne till December 15 as compared to 17.66 lakh tonne in the corresponding period last year.
Sugar production in Karnataka stood at 11.5 lakh tonne, slightly higher than the year-ago period.
"The initial rumours by a handful of people suggesting a specific figure of sugar production for next year (2018-19) had a negative impact on the market in the latter part of November and beginning of December 2017.

"However, the market has now realised that only 10-15 per cent of sugarcane for 2018-19 has been actually planted, and experts have agreed that the figures being suggested by a few people for the next season were misleading and too early to even talk about," ISMA said.
The association said buying interest is improving as well as the stock holding limit on traders has been removed, which should boost sugar demand and sales.