Sugar output in the first three months of 2011-12 season starting October is up 17 per cent, led by higher production in Uttar Pradesh and higher recovery in Maharashtra.

Output till end-December stood at 7.57 million tonnes, around 1.1 mt more over the corresponding period last year. The Indian Sugar Mills Association estimates an output of 26 mt for the 2011-12 season.

Production in UP

Production in UP was up 5 lakh tonnes, a rise of almost 50 per cent due to early start of crushing season this year. UP has crushed 26.1 mt of cane till December against 19.7 mt last year. However, the recovery is lower at 8.45 per cent this year against 8.81 per cent last year, ISMA said in a statement. A total of 503 factories have started crushing as on December 31, 2011, against 490 in the previous season.

Recovery higher in Maharashtra

Sugar output was up by 3 lakh tonnes in Maharashtra, where the crushing was higher by 15 per cent at 26.6 mt over the corresponding last year’s 23.1 mt. The recovery has been higher at 10.35 per cent against 9.8 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

However, Maharashtra is expecting a lower yield of sugarcane and therefore, one will have to wait to see the cane production figures in the State, probably at the end of January to better estimate final production, ISMA said. Output in Karnataka has also shown an increase of 2 lakh tonnes.

ISMA and National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd would be carrying out the second satellite mapping of the sugarcane crop beginning February to update the output estimates.

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