Sugar production likely to grow with improved cane crop

26-Nov-2025 09:00 PM

New Delhi. Compared to last year, sugarcane acreage increased significantly in Maharashtra and Karnataka this year, but the area under cultivation decreased slightly in Uttar Pradesh.

Furthermore, sugarcane acreage fluctuated in states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra-Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Although the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), the apex industry body, has estimated the national sugarcane acreage to remain around last year's level, data from the Union Agriculture Ministry indicates a significant increase in acreage.

This year, the sugarcane crop generally benefited from the heavy southwest monsoon rains, which is expected to increase its average yield. However, in some places, the crop was damaged due to natural disasters.

In its first advance estimate, the Union Agriculture Ministry has projected that gross sugarcane production during the 2025-26 season will reach a peak of 475.614 million tons, an increase of 210.03 million tons from the weak 2024-25 season's production of 454.611 million tons.

This will provide sugar mills with more raw material for crushing and processing, leading to increased sugar production.

This year, some improvement is also being seen in the average recovery rate from sugarcane. The crushing process is currently in its initial stages, and the picture will become clearer next month.

Domestic sugarcane production reached a peak of 490.533 million tons in the 2022-23 season but declined to 453.158 million tons in the 2023-24 season.

Production remained around this level in 2024-25. If domestic sugarcane production exceeds 475 million tons this year, as projected by the government, it could be the second-highest ever. The Agriculture Ministry has only released its first estimates.