‘Sugar output up 14%, may touch 35.5 MT in marketing year 2021-22’

NEW DELHI: Sugar production in India has increased by 14 per cent to 34.2 million tonnes (MT) so far in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year (MY), and is expected to touch a record of 35.5 MT, cooperative body NFCSF said on Thursday.

The country’s sugar output stood at 31.1 MT in 2020-21, 25.9 MT in 2019-20, 32.2 MT in 2018-19 and 31.2 MT in 201718 marketing year, it said.

Releasing the data, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) said, “India for the first time has witnessed record production of net sugar in excess of 34.2 million tonnes till April 2022.”

The production so far is up by 14 per cent from 30 MT achieved in the year-ago period, it said.

Another remarkable feature is that out of the 520 sugar mills that are in operation, 219 mills are still in crushing as against 106 sugar mills in crushing in the year-ago period, it added.

“At this pace, all India net sugar production (after subsuming 3.5 MT of sugar for ethanol) is poised to be in excess of 35.5 million tonne,” NFCSF said.

The crushing operation especially in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat may continue till end of May, which would be another new record in the history of Indian sugar sector, it added.