India’s Sugar production crossed 148 lakh tonnes

As many as 509 sugar factories across the country have produced 148.70 lakh tonnes sugar by crushing 1,563 lakh tonnes of cane.

This figure is based on data available till January 15, according to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF).

Sugar production in the country is expected to be at least 305.50 lakh tonnes by the end of the sugar season, with Maharashtra maintaining its lead in the sugarcane crushing and the sugar production till date.

"...it is likely to go up by 8 to 10 lakh tonnes," NFCSF President Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar said. 

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the three leading sugar producing states in the country whose contribution in the sugarcane and sugar production is 75.83 percent.

While 197 factories in Maharashtra crushed 548.39 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced 51 lakh tonnes of sugar , 120 factories in Uttar Pradesh have crushed 465.66 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced 46.10 lakh tonnes of sugar.

In Karnataka 322.92 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was crushed from 69 factories and produced 31 lakh tonnes of sugar. The return of rains helped to the standing sugarcane which led to the increase in sugar production in these three states.

The average sugar recovery in the country is 9.51 per cent . While Uttar Pradesh tops the country in the sugar recovery which is 9.90 percent,it is followed by Telangana with an verage 9.75 percent sugar recovery and the third position in it is held by Karnataka with 9.60 percent sugar recovery.

Maharashtra has recorded 9.30 percent the sugar recovery and it is seen increasing due to the rise in the cold. Gujarat, Bihar, Haryana and Uttarakhand have an average of 9.20 percent each.

With the drastic increase in the purchase price of ethanol produced from C molasses by the central government to Rs 6.87 per litre and the imposition of 50 percent export duty on the total export of molasses, ethanol production is expected to increase by 30 to 35 crore litres.