CCEA approves subsidy of Rs 3,500 crore to sugar mills for export of sweetener for 2020-21

17 Dec 2020 Evaluate

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a subsidy of Rs 3,500 crore to sugar mills for the export of 60 lakh tonnes of sweetener during the ongoing marketing year 2020-21 as part of its efforts to help them clear outstanding dues to sugarcane farmers. The CCEA has approved the subsidy at the rate of Rs 6 per kg for the current year, much lower than about Rs 10.50 per kg in the 2019-20 marketing year keeping in view favourable international prices.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said both sugar industry as well as sugarcane farmers are in crisis because of high domestic production in the last two-three years. This year too, production is expected to be 310 lakh tonnes as against the annual demand of 260 lakh tonnes. He added that the decision will benefit five crore farmers and five lakh workers employed in sugar mills and related ancillary activities. He said sugar mills will be able to earn Rs 18,000 crore revenue from the export.

The subsidy aims at covering expenses on marketing costs including handling, upgrading and other processing costs and costs of international and internal transport and freight charges on export of up to 60 lakh tonnes of sugar limited to Maximum Admissible Export Quota (MAEQ) allocated to sugar mills for sugar season 2020-21.

In the previous marketing year 2019-20 (October-September), the government provided a lump sum export subsidy of Rs 10,448 per tonne, costing the exchequer Rs 6,268 crore. Mills exported 5.7 million tonnes of sugar against the mandatory quota of 6 million tonnes set for the 2019-20 season (October-September). India, the world's second-largest sugar-producing country, had to offer export subsidies during the past two years to reduce surplus stocks and help cash-starved sugar mills clear cane payment to growers.

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