ISMA cuts sugar output by 3.5% to 328 lakh tonnes for 2022-23 marketing yr

New Delhi: Sugar industry body ISMA has revised downwards the country's sugar production estimate to 328 lakh tonnes for the current marketing year ending September, from an earlier projection of 340 lakh tonnes.

The downward revision has been made due to a fall in sugar output in Maharashtra to 105 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 marketing year (October-September), from an earlier projection of 121 lakh tonnes.

Sugarcane crushing season has ended in the state.

"ISMA has revised its all-India sugar production estimate for 2022-23 (after diversion into ethanol) to 328 lakh tonnes, after considering diversion of about 40 lakh tonnes of sugar equivalent into ethanol," the association said in a statement on Wednesday.

In January, ISMA had projected output of 340 lakh tonnes, after diversion of 45 lakh tonnes towards ethanol.

Sugar production in 2021-22 stood at 358 lakh tonnes post diversion towards ethanol.

"Crushing season in Maharashtra has ended at around 105 lakh tonnes, lower than our earlier estimate, due to unexpectedly lower cane yields owing to higher ratoon crop share and uneven distribution of rainfall," ISMA said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the sugar production for 2022-23 has been revised upward to 105 lakh tonnes from 101 lakh tonnes projected earlier.

In Karnataka also, the output is likely to increase to 57 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 from 56 lakh tonnes estimated earlier.

ISMA had earlier this month, said that sugar production fell 6 per cent to 311 lakh tonnes till April 15 of the 2022-23 marketing year ending September, mainly due to lower output in Maharashtra.

Sugar output stood at 328.7 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.

As per the data, sugar production in Uttar Pradesh rose to 96.6 lakh tonnes from October 1, 2022-April 15, 2023, against 94.4 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

Maharashtra's sugar production fell to 105 lakh tonnes from 126.5 lakh tonnes, while output in Karnataka declined to 55.3 lakh tonnes from 58 lakh tonnes.

The government has allowed 60 lakh tonnes of sugar exports for 2022-23.

The country had exported around 110 lakh tonnes, an all time high, in the 2021-22 marketing year.