From the beginning of the current 2015-16 season and till 30th April 2016, sugar mills have produced 246.03 lac tonnes of sugar, down 11 percent as compared to 276.04 lac tonnes produced in 2014-15 Sugar Season (SS) at the same corresponding period, according to Indian Sugar Mills Association(ISMA).
Sugar crushing operations for 2015-16 SS in most parts of the country have come to an end on April 30, 2016. According to ISMA, 48 sugar mills are still continuing their crushing operations as on date, as against 97 sugar mills which were operating on the same date last year. Out of the 48, 35 sugar mills still operating are in Tamil Nadu. The other sugar mills are in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana, which may close in next few days.
ISMA said that sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh have produced 68 lac tonnes of sugar till April30, 2016, as compared to 70.42 lac tonnes produced on corresponding date in 2014-15 SS. Last year, 14 sugar mills were still operating on April 30, 2015. However, during the current season only one sugar mill was operating April 30 this year. During the current sugar season, cane crushed by sugar mills was about 70 lac tonnes less, as compared to last season and this is the main reason for drop in sugar production, despite higher recovery.
“Maharashtra mills have produced 83.75 lac tonnes of sugar with 5 sugar mills still in operation. Last year during the same period, sugar mills in this State had produced 103.47 lac tonnes with 30 sugar mills in operation,” ISMA said..
In Karnataka, almost all the sugar mills have stopped crushing for the season except a couple of mills. Till April30, 2016, sugar mills in the State have produced 40.37 lac tonnes of sugar, compared with 48.06 lac tonnes produced last season at the corresponding date. In 2014-15 SS, about 17 sugar mills were operating. Few mills in Southern Karnataka will again start their crushing operations in July 2016 and few thousand tonnes of sugar is likely to produced in the remaining period of the current sugar season.
In Tamil Nadu, 35 sugar mills are still operating as on April30, 2016 and they have produced 10.50 lac tonnes of sugar, as compared to 9.48 lac tonnes produced in 2014-15 SS on the same corresponding period, when 23 mills were operating. During the current 2015-16 SS, it is expected that these sugar mills will continue till end of May 2016 and a few mills will again start their special season in July 2016, when a few lac tonnes of sugar would get produced in Tamil Nadu.
As regards sugar production in other States, Gujarat has produced 11.60 lac tonnes, Uttarakhand 2.68 lac tonnes, Bihar 5.01 lac tonnes, Punjab 6.35 lac tonnes, Haryana 5.40 lac tonnes, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh 3.67 lac tonnes, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana 8.10 lac tonnes. In comparison with last season, except Punjab where sugar production in the current season is 1 lac tonnes more than last season, other States have produced slightly lower.
Considering the number of sugar mills which were in operation as on April 30, 2016 and cane availability in these States, sugar production in the current season is expected to be just above 250 lac tonnes by the end of September 2016. However, with the carry forward of 90.80 lac tonnes from previous season and estimated domestic consumption of 256 lac tonnes & exports of 15 lac tonnes, sugar mills would still have a carryover stocks of 70 lac tonnes at the end of the current season.
