India's October sugar production falls 14.73 pc

NEW DELHI: Sugar production in India, the world's major producer, fell 14.73 per cent year on year to 4.05 lakh tonnes in the first month of the 2022-23 marketing season, according to cooperative body NFCSFL data released on Monday.

Mills had manufactured 4.75 lakh tonnes of sugar during October in 2021-22 marketing season. Sugar marketing season runs from October to September.

National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSFL) has pegged sugar production at 36 million tonnes for the 2022-23 marketing season.

According to NFCSFL, the new sugar season has commenced in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The cane crushing operations in Uttar Pradesh and rest of the cane growing states would kick off in a week's time.

As per the data, sugar production in Maharasthra remained lower at 80,000 tonnes of sugar till October of the current season, as against 1.40 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

Similarly, sugar production in Karnataka reached 2.80 lakh tonnes, lower than 3.10 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

Sugar production in Tamil Nadu, however, remained higher at 45,000 tonnes till October of this season as against 25,000 tonnes in the year-ago period.

About 134 mills were operating during October, as against 160 mills in the year-ago period.

Sugar production stood at 35.92 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing season. Maharasthra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the top three sugar producing states in the country.