India’s Sugar Production Nears 257 Lakh Tonnes for 2024–25 Season
01-May-2025 08:30 PM
New Delhi. India’s sugar production has reached 256.90 lakh tonnes in the first seven months of the current marketing season (October 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025), according to the latest report from the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA). The figure is approaching the Food Ministry’s full-season estimate of 260 lakh tonnes.
Breakdown of production by state includes:
Uttar Pradesh: 92.40 lakh tonnes
Maharashtra: 80.87 lakh tonnes
Karnataka: 40.40 lakh tonnes
Gujarat: 8.92 lakh tonnes
Tamil Nadu: 4.75 lakh tonnes
Other states (including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Odisha): 29.56 lakh tonnes
As of April 30, 19 sugar mills remain operational, including 10 in Uttar Pradesh, 1 in Maharashtra, and 8 in Tamil Nadu. These remaining mills may add slightly to the total output over the coming weeks.
At the start of the season, 534 sugar mills were operational across the country, with 200 in Maharashtra, 122 in Uttar Pradesh, 80 in Karnataka, 30 in Tamil Nadu, 15 in Gujarat, and 87 in other states. Out of these, 515 mills have now ceased operations.
This year, Uttar Pradesh has overtaken Maharashtra to become the largest sugar-producing state in India. Notably, most of the currently active mills in UP are located in the western part of the state and are expected to continue crushing for another 7–10 days. Meanwhile, one operational mill in Pune district, Maharashtra, may continue until mid-May.
Additionally, a special crushing session is scheduled in southern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from June/July to September, which traditionally contributes 4–5 lakh tonnes of sugar production. With this, the final production figure for 2024–25 could surpass 260 lakh tonnes.
Despite robust production, the export performance remains weak, with only a portion of the 10 lakh tonne quota expected to be shipped due to global pricing challenges.