Mumbai: The decrease in sugar recovery has impacted the sugar production in Maharashtra, reports Hindustan Times. The state has witnessed a dip in sugar production by nearly 22 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 season.
Though, the state has registered a fall in sugar production and sugar recovery rate, the diversion of sugar towards ethanol production climbed.
According to the news report published in Hindustan Times, the government incentives for the conversion of sugar to ethanol has led to the diversion of sugar to 106 lakh quintals from last year’s conversion of 102 lakh quintals. It led to a further drop in sugar production.
In the current season, sugar mills have produced 105.27 lakh tonnes of sugar (as against 127.53 lakh tonnes in 2021-22) by crushing 1,054.75 lakh tonnes of sugarcane with an average sugar recovery of 9.98 per cent.
The average sugar recovery in Maharashtra declined by 0.44% than the preceding season. The highest recovery was reported in the Kolhapur region with 11.45% and the lowest recovery was 7.20% in the Nagpur division. The drop in it is because of unequal rainfall and climate change.
