India’s Sugar Exports Likely to Accelerate Soon

10-Apr-2025 08:14 PM

Mumbai: The All India Sugar Trade Association expects the pace of sugar exports from India to pick up in the coming weeks, following a slow start to the 2024-25 marketing season.

The government had allocated a 10 lakh tonne export quota on January 20, 2025, but as of April 8, only 2.87 lakh tonnes had been exported, with an additional 18,000 tonnes currently being loaded for shipment.

The sugar export deadline is December 30, 2025, giving millers ample time to fulfill their quotas. The association says demand could rise if global prices strengthen, especially with Brazil’s new production season starting slowly and the end of sugarcane crushing in Thailand approaching.

So far, Indian sugar exports have gone mainly to Somalia (52,000 tonnes), Afghanistan (49,000 tonnes), Sri Lanka (47,000 tonnes), Libya (31,000 tonnes), Djibouti (27,000 tonnes), UAE (22,000 tonnes), Tanzania (21,000 tonnes), Bangladesh (6,000 tonnes), and China (5,400 tonnes).

Despite weak global prices and high domestic rates slowing exports, market dynamics may soon shift.

The association predicts India’s sugar production may drop to 254 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 — significantly lower than last year’s 319 lakh tonnes,

and below earlier estimates by NFCSF (259 lakh tonnes) and ISMA (264 lakh tonnes). Meanwhile, domestic consumption remains strong, keeping market interest high.