Sugar production till March-end of the current 2012-13 sugar year is down 2 per cent at 23.05 million tonne, the Indian Sugar Mills Association said. In the corresponding last year, sugar output stood at 23.45 million tonnes.
Average recovery or the amount of sugar produced from the cane crushed stood at 10.09 per cent during the current season, about 0.2 per cent lower than year.
As the crushing season in most parts of the country enters the last phase, more than half of the 520 mills that were operational have stopped functioning. Cane crushing will soon end in states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
Despite drought impacting cane production in Maharashtra, the State has produced 7.7 million tonnes of sugar, about 4 per cent lower than last year. Sugar recovery is marginally lower at 11.33 per cent against last year’s 11.53 per cent. About 116 mills have closed their operations in Maharashtra.
In Uttar Pradesh, sugar output stood at 6.75 million tonnes, marginally higher than corresponding last year’s 6.67 m t. About 102 mills are still operational in UP, where crushing is likely to go on till end-April.
Karnataka has produced 3.29 million tonnes of sugar till March-end, about 7 per cent lower than last year. Similarly, Tamil Nadu’s sugar output is down 3 per cent at 1.35 m t.
ISMA has estimated sugar output to 24.6 million tonnes for the 2012-13 season, marginally lower than 26 mt produced in the previous year.