Sugar Price Hike: The bitterness of the sweetness of sugar may still continue. In the first three months of the 2023-24 season, sugar production has declined by 7.7 percent and has come down to 113 lakh tonnes. There has been a decline in sugar production in Maharashtra and Karnataka due to decline in sugarcane production.
Releasing the data, the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) said that in the current season till December 2023, 511 factories have crushed 1223 lakh tonnes of sugarcane so far. There has been a decline in production in the three major sugar producing states of the country, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The government has limited the production of ethanol from sugarcane juice. The country is expected to produce 305 lakh tonnes of new sugar for domestic consumption in the 2023-24 season, which was 330.90 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 season last year. According to MFCSF data, Maharashtra, the largest state in terms of sugar production, has produced 38.40 lakh tonnes of sugar till December, whereas last year 2022-23, 47.40 lakh tonnes was produced.
According to the data, 24 lakh tonnes of sugar has been produced in Karnataka this season whereas last year 26.70 lakh tonnes were produced. In Uttar Pradesh, 34.65 lakh tonnes of sugar has been produced till December 2023, which was 30.80 lakh tonnes a year ago. According to MFCSF, sugar production will increase with the increase in cold. By the end of the season, 115 lakh sugar is expected to be produced in Uttar Pradesh. 90 lakh tonnes of sugar can be produced in Maharashtra and 42 lakh tonnes in Karnataka. Production is estimated to be 12 lakh tonnes in Tamil Nadu and 10 lakh tonnes in Gujarat.
MFCSF MD Prakash Nayakanaware expressed hope that the restrictions on ethanol production can be relaxed in the coming days. He said that earlier the production of sugar was estimated at 290 lakh tonnes, which may further increase by 15 lakh tonnes. He said that MFCSF and Indian Sugar Mills Association will draw the attention of the Central Government towards this so that sugar companies can get relief.
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