According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the country's sugar output increased by 5.64 percent compared to the previous year's October-January period to 187.04 lakh tonnes in the current marketing year 2021-22.
Sugar mills manufactured 177.06 lakh tonnes of sugar over the same period in the previous 2020-21 marketing year (October-September). According to ISMA, sugar output in Uttar Pradesh (the country's biggest sugar producing state) remained lower at 50.33 lakh tonnes during the October-January period of this marketing year, compared with 54.4 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.
However, sugar production in Maharashtra, the country's second-largest producing state, increased from 63.8 lakh tonnes to 72.9 lakh tonnes. Karnataka, the country's third-largest producing state, increased its output to 38.78 lakh tonnes from 34.5 lakh tonnes during the same period. Until the conclusion of the current marketing year in January, Gujarat produced 575000 tonnes of sugar while Tamil Nadu produced 288000 tonnes. ISMA stated in a statement that the remaining states generated 1.64 million tonnes in the same time period.
The industry association hailed an increase in the revised budgetary allocation for the current fiscal year to Rs.6844 crore from Rs.4337 crore in previous Budget Estimates for the sugar sector, claiming that this is a step forward towards clearing cane payments.
ISMA further stated that an increase in Budget allocation for the next fiscal year of Rs.300 crore (for extending financial assistance to sugar mills for expansion and augmentation of ethanol capacity) will increase supplies for ethanol blending and lower the country's oil import bills.
India's sugar production estimate has been revised upward by 3% to 314.5 lakh tonnes for 2021-22 marketing year ending September as against the earlier forecast of 305 lakh tonnes, according to industry body ISMA.
Releasing its second advance estimates, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said, "The country is expected to produce 314.50 lakh tonnes of sugar during 2021-22 season.
Sugar marketing year runs from October to September. Sugar output stood at 311.8 lakh tonnes in the 2020-21 season.
"This is after considering an estimated diversion of sugar equivalent of 34 lakh tonnes for production of ethanol by means of diversion of sugarcane juice /syrup or B-heavy molasses," the association said in a statement on Monday.
