Doubts over increase in upcoming sugar production

10-Jun-2025 08:22 PM

New Delhi. Although industry and trade organizations are estimating a good increase in domestic sugar production during the 2025-26 marketing season (October-September) as compared to 2024-25 and the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories has expressed the possibility of production of 350 lakh tonnes, but the kind of situation that is developing seems to indicate that the next sugar production will not increase as expected.

There was a decline in the sugarcane sowing area last year, even though the government had increased the figure for increase in it.

Now once again the sowing area has lagged behind, especially in Uttar Pradesh, while it is the largest producer of sugarcane and sugar in the country.

Although there has been some increase in the sugarcane sowing area in the second and third largest producing states - Maharashtra and Karnataka, the situation in other states is not satisfactory.

The monsoon continues to play hide and seek while the temperature is running at a very high level. This is likely to affect the average yield rate of sugarcane.

However, it would be premature to make any accurate estimate about the average recovery rate of sugar from sugarcane as the monsoon is still in its initial stages and heavy rainfall is expected in July-August.

If the monsoon remains active and dynamic in these two rainiest months, then the sugar recovery rate may improve.

During the 2024-25 season, not only did the sugarcane yield fall drastically as compared to the 2023-24 season, but the sugar recovery rate also decreased significantly.