The sugar production is estimated to rise by 45% to record 29.5 million tonnes (MT) in the current marketing year ending September. As per industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), this estimate is on back of higher cane output in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The body had earlier pegged sugar production at 26.1 MT for the current 2017-18 marketing year.
As per the estimates, sugar production in Uttar Pradesh is expected to increase to 10.51 MT in 2017-18 from 8.77 MT in the previous year. The sugar output in Maharashtra is likely to touch 10.13 MT as against 4.2 MT in the 2016-17, while sugar production in Karnataka may rise to 3.54 MT from 2.16 MT in the previous year.
Sugar output of India, the world’s second largest producer after Brazil, stood at 20.3 MT in the 2016-17 marketing year (October-September).