Sugar mills produce 141 lakh tonnes till January

Sugar production in the country as on January 31 was around 141 lakh tonnes (lt), nearly 24 per cent lower than 185.59 lt in the corresponding period last year, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), on Monday. This year’s sugar production is slated to be 260 lt, nealry 70 lt lower than that in the previous sugar season (October to November).

The drop in production is mainly because of subdued sugarcane crushing in Maharashtra, the second largest sugar producing in the country, whose production is 51 per cent lower than last year so far.

Sugar production in Maharashtra, where 143 mills are in operation, was 34.64 lt compared with 70.99 lt in the corresponding period in the previous sugar season.

On the contrary, a total of 119 sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh produced 54.96 lt of sugar as against 52.86 lt in the same period in the previous season.

The production so far is down by nearly 17 per cent in Karnataka to 27.94 lt as compared to 33.76 lt of sugar produced same period last season. In both Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, sugar production is down by 27 and 28 per respectively to 4.87 lt and 2.05 lt.

Othe sugar producing States – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana – together produced 16.55 lt of sugar so far this season.

ISMA estimated that a quantity of sugarcane juice and ‘B’ heavy molasses, enough to produce 8.5 lt sugar would be diverted to produce ethanol. The sugar trade body, however, said sugar sales this year would be around 260 lt, slightly higher than the previous ytear’s 255 lt.

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