Sugar exports picking up even as delays in release of subsidy loom

Newer opportunities such as exporting to Indonesia are being thrown up but early closure of mills could be an issue

In some major relief to mills, sugar exports are picking up this season, and opportunities to ship the commodity to newer markets such as Indonesia are being thrown up, with the South-East Asian nation expected to soon open gates for the Indian sweetener. Rising exports, coupled with a sharp decline are useful in clearing the huge glut that industry has been facing the past few years.

Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) and trade leaders are projecting exports to reach 5 million tonnes this season for which the maximum admissible export quantoty, or MAEQ, has been issued mill-wise by the government.

Exporters say