Sugar Output Declines 17% Due To Operational Delays In Maharashtra, Karnataka Mills

Sugar production has dropped 17% to 61.4 lakh tonnes as of Dec. 15 in the current marketing year, which began in October, primarily due to a decline in output from Maharashtra, according to the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association.

The production figures do not account for sugar diverted to ethanol production.

As of Dec. 15, in the ongoing 2024-25 marketing year (October-September), sugar production stood at 61.39 lakh tonnes, down from 74.05 lakh tonnes in the same period last year, ISMA said in a statement on Tuesday.

Notably, sugar mills in Karnataka began operations 7–12 days later than last year, while mills in Maharashtra started 15–20 days behind schedule.

As per the data, sugar production in Uttar Pradesh increased to 23.04 lakh tonnes from 22.11 lakh tonnes.

In Maharashtra, the output declined 16.78 lakh tonnes from 24.45 lakh tonnes. Karnataka saw a decline in sugar production to 13.85 lakh tonnes from 17.56 lakh tonnes.

ISMA said that "this year, sugar diversion towards ethanol is estimated to be higher at around 40 lakh tonnes against around 21.5 lakh tonnes diverted last year".

The sugar production in November also saw a 44% drop to 7.10 lakh tonnes in the first six weeks of the 2024-25 season. Only 144 sugar mills were operational as of Nov. 15, down from 264 mills in the previous year, the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories said in a statement on Nov. 15.

In Karnataka, production fell to 26.25 lakh tonnes from 53.75 lakh tonnes a year ago, with only 40 mills operating. Uttar Pradesh had 85 operational mills during the period.

The industry body estimates total sugar production for the 2024-25 season, which runs from October to September, will decline to 280 lakh tonnes from 319 lakh tonnes in the previous season.

(With Inputs From PTI)