Sugar Output Falls Slightly To 28.18 Million Tonnes Till March 15 This Marketing Year: ISMA

The country's sugar output remained marginally lower at 28.18 million tonnes till March 15 of the ongoing marketing year, industry body ISMA said on Friday.

Sugar production stood at 28.45 million tonnes in the same period of the 2021–22 marketing year.

The sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association, around 336 sugar factories were in operation in the period under review, compared with 438 factories in the year-ago period.

After diversion for ethanol production, the country's sugar production was 28.18 million tonnes during October 15–March 15 of the ongoing 2022–23 marketing year, the industry body said in a statement.

The output in Maharashtra—the country's leading producer of the sweetener—remained lower at 10.19 million tonnes during October through March 15 of the ongoing marketing year compared to 10.90 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

The production in Karnataka, too, the country's third-largest sugar-producing state, showed a marginal decline to 5.35 million tonnes as against 5.54 million tonnes during the comparable period, ISMA said in a statement.

Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh, the country's second-largest producer of the sweetener, however, remained marginally higher at 7.96 million tonnes till March 15 of the ongoing marketing year compared with 7.83 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

The production in other states remained slightly higher at 4.68 million tonnes compared to 4.18 million tonnes.

ISMA said about 3.11 million tonnes of sugar have been diverted for ethanol production in the said period.

In January, ISMA revised downward its sugar production estimate for 2022–23 to 34 million tonnes over its earlier estimate of 36.5 million tonnes issued in October 2022.

Sugar production stood at 35.8 million tonnes in the 2021–22 marketing year.