‘India exports 7 mn tonnes of sugar, may reach record of 9 mn tonnes’

NEW DELHI: India, the world’s second largest sugar producer after Brazil, has exported 7 million tonnes of the sweetener so far in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year, and exports from the country may touch a new record of 9 million tonnes, industry body ISMA said on Thursday.

Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), in a statement, said the country’s sugar output has risen to 34.23 million tonnes till April of the current marketing year, from 30 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

Sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

The country had exported a record 7.23 million tonnes of the sweetener in the 2020-21 marketing year with much of the shipments undertaken with the help of government subsidy.

“As per reports from the trade, around 8.2-8.3 million tonnes of sugar export have been contracted for so far. Out of that, about 6.8-7 million tonnes of sugar is estimated to have been physically exported from India up to April,” ISMA said.

Accordingly, it is estimated that the “Indian sugar industry should be able to export over 9 million tonnes,” it said.

The sugar being exported this year is without the government subsidies.

On sugar production, ISMA said it has risen by 14 per cent to 34.23 million tonnes during the October-april period of the 2021-22 marketing year, from over the year-ago period.

Out of which, sugar production in Maharashtra — the country’s leading sugar producing state — has increased to 13.20 million tonnes till April of the current marketing year, compared to 10.56 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

About 123 mills are still operating in the state but they are facing problems in harvesting, the industry body said.

Production in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s second largest sugar producing state, however, declined to 9.89 million tonnes so far this marketing year, from 10.56 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.