The Indian sugar mills have 39.73 lakh tonnes of sugar till 30th November 2018, which is almost similar to the sugar production of 39.14 lakh tonnes during the same period in 2017, informed Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA).
It said that “as compared to 450 sugar factories which were crushing sugarcane last year till 30th November, 415 sugar mills are crushing sugarcane on 30th November 2018 this year.
In Maharashtra, 167 sugar mills have started crushing operations and are running in full swing. As on 30th November 2018, these mills have produced 18.05 lac tons, 21% higher than the sugar production of last year on the same date.
In the case of Uttar Pradesh, 109 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane on 30th November 2018 and have produced 9.50 lac tons till that date. At the end of November 2017 last year, 108 sugar mills were crushing in Uttar Pradesh who had produced 13.11 lac tons. Sugar production this year is slow as compared to last year because, in the current season, sugar mills had a delayed start of crushing by a fortnight or so.
In the State of Karnataka, 63 sugar mills were crushing on 30th November 2018 and 7.93 lac tons of sugar was produced. As compared to this, last year as on 30th November 2017, 62 sugar mills were operating this time who had produced 7.02 lac tons of sugar.
In Gujarat, 16 sugar mills were crushing on 30th November 2018 and they have produced 1.95 lac tons of sugar. Last year on 30th November 2017, 17 mills were in operation and they had produced 1.78 lac tons of sugar.
Crushing operations in all the other States have also begun and slowly and slowly the pace of crushing is picking up. About 60 sugar mills are operating in other States who have produced 2.30 lac tons in this season up to 30th November 2018, which in the previous season was 2.35 lac tons, when 91 mills were operating as on 30th November 2017.
