Sugar production drops by 27% in Maharashtra as mills close early

Drop in production could prompt the world's second-biggest consumer to allow duty-free imports

The country's top sugar producing state Maharashtra has so far produced 27 per cent less sugar than a year ago as nearly a third of the total mills have stopped crushing due to cane shortage, government and industry officials told Reuters.

A drop in production could lift local prices and prompt the world's second-biggest consumer to allow duty-free imports of the sweetener, supporting global prices that are trading near their highest level in 1-1/2 months.

Mills in Maharashtra have produced 3.14 million tonnes of sugar so far in the current season that started on October 1, compared with 4.3 million