No increase in sugar export quota, said Food secretary
"The sugar production is going down by about 9 lakh tonnes, that is our estimate from the previous year. So keeping that in view, as of now there is no proposal to increase the export quota."
Team RuralVoice
There is no proposal before the government, as of now, to increase the sugar export quota from the present 60 lakh tonnes for this marketing year ending September, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra has said. The food ministry has allowed 60 lakh tonnes of sugar exports for the current 2022-23 marketing year (Oct-Sept). The country had exported around 110 lakh tonnes of sugar, an all-time high, in the 2021-22 marketing year.
"The sugar production is going down by about 9 lakh tonnes, that is our estimate from the previous year. So keeping that in view, as of now there is no proposal to increase the export quota," Chopra said on the sidelines of an event in the national capital. "The production figures have come down. We have to see this buffer stock requirement first. And once that is met, then only we can take a call," he said to a question on further exports of the sweetener. The secretary asserted that "as of now there are no proposals for any further export quota."
Mills have already contracted to export almost the entire 60 lakh tonnes of sugar that have been permitted by the government. A large quantity has already been shipped. Last month, the food secretary had said that sugar production is estimated to be lower in the 2022-23 marketing year because of bad weather in some producing states.
The Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said that in the current season, 528 mills started their operations so far against 516 mills which operated last season, as on February 28, 2023. On the corresponding date, 61 mills have closed their crushing operations in the current season, while 467 sugar mills were still operating in the country. However, in the last season 2021-22, 32 mills had closed their crushing operations and 484 mills were operating on the corresponding date.
The ISMA, in its latest press release, pegged sugar production at approximately 275 lakh tonne as on February 28, with Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh accounting for the lion's share. The production figure marks an increase of 11 lakh tonne.
