Sugar Industry

Around 152 sugar mills began crushing cane by October-end, producing 0.85 million tonnes of sugar, while the recovery rate fell to 8.01 per cent from 8.44 per cent last season

So far, around 2.6 lakh tonnes has been imported, according to industry data

Says E20 works well and marginal decline in efficiency compensated by higher octane value

Sugar mills say retail prices should have fallen faster as ex-mill rates dropped nearly 30 per cent from their August peak, with no shortage reported in the market

Ex-mill sugar prices fell nearly 30 per cent to Rs 47 per kg on Monday, from a peak of Rs 67 per kg on August 18, following a series of government interventions, but the drop has yet to filter down to retail shelves, industry sources said. While the decline in ex-mill rates gets reflected almost immediately in wholesale markets, retail prices tend to lag. Retailers who bought stock at the earlier, higher rates are unwilling to sell at a loss and will continue pricing their existing inventory at the older rate until it is exhausted, the sources explained. A retailer typically holds 10-15 bags of sugar, each weighing 50 kg. Only once fresh stock is procured at the lower rate will retail prices adjust accordingly. "It takes at least ten days to reflect changes in the retail price," an industry source said. On Sunday, retail sugar was selling at Rs 64.23 per kg, against a wholesale rate of Rs 59.72 per kg. WHY EX-MILL PRICES FELL ------------------------------ The decline follows t

ISMA and NFCSF said India has adequate sugar stocks to meet domestic demand and urged traders and buyers to avoid speculative purchases and hoarding

The twin pressures are poised to keep millions of tons of sugar off the world market, tightening supplies for importers across Asia, Africa and the West Asia

ISMA and NFCSF have proposed a ₹87.94-crore Centre of Excellence at ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore, to accelerate development of climate-resilient and disease-resistant sugarcane varieties

According to the state government, sugarcane farmers have received payments of about ₹3.27 trillion between 2017 and 2026

The amendments were floated last month and were open for public comments till May 20

Sugar industry stakeholders and global experts will discuss sustainability, ethanol blending, policy, and technological innovation at a two-day conference in Lucknow

Proposed changes to Sugarcane Control Order, including stricter norms for mills and khandsari units, raise concerns over increased regulatory oversight and potential 'Inspector Raj' in the sector

India is the world's second biggest sugar producer

Senior industry official said the government also seems amenable to this, as producing more ethanol has become a national priority given the impact of the West Asia war on petroleum prices

Policy allows establishment of sugarcane byproduct processing projects through private investors

India's sugar production has been revised down 5.57 per cent to 32.40 million tonne for the 2025-26 marketing year, industry body ISMA said on Wednesday, citing lower yields in top producers Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The third advance estimate, released after an executive committee meeting, follows a second projection of 34.35 million tonnes. Output last year was 29.62 million tonnes. After diverting 3.1 million tonnes for ethanol, net availability will reach 29.3 million tonnes, up from 26.12 million tonnes in 2024-25. Including 5 million tonne opening stock, the total availability of 34.3 million tonne exceeds domestic consumption of 28.3 million tonne, ISMA said. ISMA forecast exports at 700,000 tonnes and closing stocks at 5.3 million tonnes. Net production in Maharashtra is estimated at 10.6 million tonne, Uttar Pradesh at 9.25 million tonne and Karnataka at 4.84 million tonne - all revised lower but above last year's levels. In Uttar Pradesh, lower yields stem from a .

The government's Financial Assistance to Sugar Mills for Enhancement and Augmentation of Ethanol Production Capacity has prompted MSME sugar players to diversify into distilleries

India's sugar production rose 43 per cent to 4.11 million tonnes in the first two months of the 2025-26 marketing year, driven by strong output from Maharashtra, the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) said on Tuesday. Production stood at 2.88 million tonnes in the same period a year earlier. The marketing year runs from October to September. "Field-level feedback points to healthier cane yields and better sugar recovery rates across key states versus last year, as sugarcane crushing gains momentum across the country," ISMA said in a statement. The number of operating factories rose to 428 this year from 376 in the year-ago period. Production in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest sugar producing state, reached 1.40 million tonnes through November, up from 1.28 million tonnes a year earlier. Output in Maharashtra, the second-largest producing state, surged to 1.69 million tonnes from 460,000 tonnes in the year-ago period. Production in Karnataka, the .

An industry body for sugar factories has written to the Centre seeking a revision of the tender, which has left procurement prices unchanged from last year, noting that sugarcane prices have gone up

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the sugar industry has survived due to the advent of ethanol, and asserted there is a need for new technologies in farming. Speaking at an event of Naam Foundation in Pune, Gadkari attributed cultivator suicides in Maharashtra's Vidarbha and Marathawada regions to the scarcity of water for farming. The senior BJP leader hailed the work of Naam Foundation, led by actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure, in the field of water conservation and the welfare of the children of farmers who had committed suicide. "Water was the main cause behind the suicides of farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. If water was available in abundance, the farmers would not have to take the extreme step," said Gadkari. He said there is a need to bring in technology in the farming sector and experiments regarding the same have already been undertaken. "We import fossil fuel worth Rs lakh 22 crore due to ethanol. Today, the sugarcane cultivators and sugar m