48% Fabulous increase in sugar production till mid November
18-Nov-2025 07:54 PM
New Delhi. Domestic sugar production is seeing a significant increase this year due to increased operational mills and higher average recovery rates from sugarcane.
A statement issued by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) stated that sugar production in the country increased to 1.05 million tonnes in the first one and a half months of the current marketing season,
from October 1 to November 15, 2025, representing an increase of 3.4 million tonnes, or approximately 48 percent, from the 7.10 million tonnes produced during the same period last year.
According to the statement, crushing speed has slowed due to protests by farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra over sugarcane prices. Had the situation been normal, sugar production could have increased further.
In the current marketing season, sugarcane crushing began in 325 sugar mills during the first fortnight of November 2025, compared to only 144 units in operation during the same period last year.
During the period under review, sugarcane crushing volume also increased from 9.1 million tons to 12.8 million tons, while the average sugar recovery rate from sugarcane improved from 7.8 percent last year to 8.2 percent this time.
This resulted in improved overall sugar production. According to the statement, due to the assembly elections in Maharashtra last year, sugarcane crushing was delayed and could only begin in late November.
The Federation has estimated that gross national sugar production will increase to 35 million tons during the current marketing season of 2025-26. Under this, production is expected to be 12.5 million tons in Maharashtra, 11 million tons in Uttar Pradesh, and 7 million tons in Karnataka, while the remaining states could produce 4.5 million tons.
This includes Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. This total production of 35 million tons also includes sugar used in ethanol production.