India's sugar output set to rise 45% to 29.5 mt in 2017-18 season

Two producing states of UP and Maharashtra alone are expected to produce over 10 million tonnes this season

Amid the substantially higher sugarcane yields per hectare reported by Maharashtra and North Karnataka, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) on Wednesday increased the country’s sugar production estimates for the 2017-18 sugar season to 29.5 million tonnes, 45 per cent higher than last year’s 20.3 mt.

Two states – UP and Maharashtra – alone are expected to produce over 10 million tonnes this season.

According to the ISMA note, the yields recorded in Maharashtra and Karnataka are reportedly one of the highest ever by either of these states.

Last year, when the sugar production fell to 20.3 mt for the whole country, 4.2