Sugar Production Falls 16% To 95 Lakh Tonnes In Q1 Of Marketing Year

Sugar production fell 16% to 95.4 lakh tonnes during the October-December quarter of the current marketing year due to a decline in output in Maharashtra, the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association said on Thursday.

Mills had manufactured 113 lakh tonnes of sugar in the year-ago period. The production data does not include the diversion of sugar for ethanol manufacture, according to the data released by the industry body.

The crushing rate in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka had improved in comparison to the previous year.

During the last week of December, Uttar Pradesh faced a reduced crushing rate due to temporary disruptions in cane supply caused by rainfall. In the first quarter, 493 mills were operational in comparison to 512 factories during the same period last year.

Sugar production in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest producer, reduced to 32.8 lakh tonnes during the first quarter of the 2024-25 marketing year (October-September) from 34.4 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

The production in Maharashtra, the country's second-largest producer, declined sharply to 30 lakh tonnes from 38.2 lakh tonnes a year ago, while that in Karnataka fell to 20.4 lakh tonnes from 24.91 lakh tonnes.

The ISMA will come out with its second advance estimates of sugar production by January-end. The industry body has projected domestic sugar consumption to be lower at 280 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 marketing year.

(With Inputs From PTI)