The country’s sugar production has reached 29.91 million tonne till April of the ongoing 2020-21 marketing season, industry body ISMA said on Monday.
With regard to sugar exports, mills have contracted for shipments of 5.4 to 5.5 million tonne so far. Out of which, 3.5 million tonne has been exported, while another 1 million tonne is expected to be done by this month, it said.
On ethanol, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said mills have supplied 117.72 crore litres of ethanol to oil marketing companies till April 19 of this year against the total contracted quantity of 302.53 crore litres, it added. Releasing updated production figures, ISMA said mills across the country have produced 29.91 million tonne of sugar during the Oct-April period of the 2020-21 marketing season (Oct-Sept).
ISMA has estimated sugar production to be 30.2 million tonne in the 2020-21 marketing season, higher than 27.42 million tonne achieved in the previous season. As per the ISMA data, Sugar production in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s largest sugar-producing state, remained slightly lower at 10.56 million tonne till April of this year, as against 11.65 million tonne in the year-ago period.
Whereas the output in Maharashtra, the country’s second-largest sugar producer, rose substantially to 10.56 million tonne from 6.09 million tonne in the said period. Similarly, output in Karnataka, the country’s third-largest sugar-producing state, rose to 4.16 million tonne till April of this year as against 3.38 million tonne in the year-ago period. Most mills in these key producing states are expected to close their operations in the next fortnight or so.