In the last 5 years, three States have dominated India’s sugar production

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka have together produced 111 million tonnes of sugar, over 79 per cent of the total production of 139.13 mt in the last five years, reveals the data presented by the Ministry of Agriculture to the Lok Sabha.

Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra together share 66 per cent of sugar production. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu which rank fourth and fifth in the chart of top sugar producing States have not even produced 10 mt sugar during this period. India is the second-largest producer of sugar in the world after Brazil and is also the largest consumer. The data re-emphasizes India’s dependence on Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra for its sugar production.

Maharashtra mills have maintained a recovery rate of 10 to 11.65 per cent. Mills in Uttar Pradesh have managed to keep it between 9.49 and 11.48 per cent.

Also, by-products such as molasses (4.5 per cent), bagasse (30 per cent) and press-cake (3.5 per cent) are generated from the sugarcane crushed by the sugar mills.

As per Rangarajan Committee report, the revenue realisation on the account of all three by-products contributes to about 5 per cent of the total revenue of individual sugar mills.

According to the Ministry of Department of Food and Public Distribution Indian sugar industry’s annual output is worth approximately ₹80,000 crores. The industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts the rural livelihoods of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills. Employment is also generated in various ancillary activities relating to transport, trade servicing of machinery and supply of agriculture inputs.