Asserting that India has sufficient sugar stocks to meet festive demand, Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) said that 107 sugar mills have so far started sugarcane crushing operations for the 2026-27 marketing year, which started this month. It said the timely commencement of operations reflects preparedness by the industry, farmers and state administrations, alongside the progressive availability of sugarcane for crushing. India's domestic sugar demand is estimated at 280-285 lakh tonne annually.
ISMA said the 2026-27 sugar season has started on schedule across the country's major sugar-producing states, with over 100 sugar mills commencing crushing operations across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In Maharashtra, close to 87 mills have commenced operations. More mills are expected to start in the coming weeks as cane harvesting gathers pace.
In Uttar Pradesh, crushing has begun, with two mills already operational. The crushing in Western Uttar Pradesh is expected to begin in the next three to four days, followed by Central Uttar Pradesh shortly thereafter and Eastern Uttar Pradesh as the cane matures in the region. ISMA noted that the previous sugar marketing year 2025-26, ended with about 36 lakh tonne of closing stocks. As of October 25, 2026, sugar production stood at 4 lakh tonne, compared with around 0.6 lakh tonne on the corresponding date last year.