Domestic sugar production expected to increase in the next marketing season
08-May-2025 11:24 AM
New Delhi. India produced 319 lakh tonnes of sugar during the 2023-24 season, which is expected to decline by about 58 lakh tonnes to around 261 lakh tonnes in the current 2024-25 marketing season. However, a significant increase in production is projected for the 2025-26 marketing season (October-September).
The New Delhi-based representative office (post) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that total sugar production in India will rise by about 26 percent, from 280 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 season to 350 lakh tonnes in the 2025-26 season, including the quantity used for ethanol production.
According to the USDA post's report, the area under sugarcane cultivation is expected to expand. Additionally, due to favorable rainfall during the previous monsoon season, sugarcane crops with longer maturity periods benefited significantly, leading to improved yield rates.
As a result, sugar mills are expected to receive a steady supply of sugarcane throughout the marketing year starting October 2025.
The estimated 350 lakh tonnes of raw sugar on a raw value basis for the 2025-26 season translates to approximately 330 lakh tonnes of crystal sugar, including 60 thousand tonnes of khandsari. The proportion of this production that will be diverted for ethanol production remains to be seen.
Sugarcane production has directly benefited from good monsoon rains in 2024. This also led to improved groundwater levels and increased water storage in dams and reservoirs.
In leading sugarcane-producing states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, crop yields are expected to improve this year, ensuring a higher supply to sugar mills.
In Maharashtra and Karnataka, favorable weather allowed farmers to expand the area under sugarcane cultivation. As a result, both the average yield of sugarcane and the average sugar recovery rate are expected to rise.
According to the USDA post, the total sugarcane cultivation area in India during the 2024-25 season was 53.60 lakh hectares.
This is estimated to increase by about 9 percent to 58.50 lakh hectares in the 2025-26 season, supporting the projected increase in sugar production.