India sugar exports to hit 8.5 MT

India is expected to hit a record sugar export level of 8.5 million tonnes (MT) in the current season 2021-22.

Citing trade reports, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said on April 4 that over 7.2 MT of sugar exports had been contracted, of which physical exports by the end of Mar 2022 were estimated at almost 5.7 MT.

“International trade houses indicate that the global market is expecting 8.5 MT of sugar exports from India in the current season,” ISMA added.

On the ethanol front, against the total letter of intent (LOI) quantity of 4.16 billion litres (BL) issued by the oil marketing companies (OMCs), more than 4 BL has already been contracted for while 1.32 BL of ethanol has been supplied so far.

On average, India has achieved a blending percentage of 9.60 per cent between Dec 2021 and Mar 2022.

Meanwhile, 518 domestic sugar mills have produced nearly 31 MT of sugar till the end of Mar 2022 in the current crushing season 2021-22 against 28 MT in the corresponding period last year.

So far, 152 mills pan-India have stopped crushing and 366 units are still continuing with their operations.

In Maharashtra, sugar production stands at 11.9 MT compared to 10 MT last year. 30 mills have concluded their crushing operations in this season, mostly in the Kolhapur region and Solapur regions.

In Uttar Pradesh (UP), 120 mills have produced 8.8 MT of sugar even as 32 units have closed, mostly in Eastern UP, by now. Last year, the UP sugar output in the corresponding period stood at 9.37 MT.

In Karnataka, 72 sugar mills have produced 5.8 MT of the sweetener while 51 mills have closed for the season. Like Maharashtra, this is by far the highest-ever sugar production in Karnataka.

Other states, viz. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Odisha have also contributed to the national sugar tally in the current season.