Bengaluru, Karnataka: Minister for Sugar Shivanand Patil on Tuesday said all sugar mills in Karnataka will start sugarcane crushing operations from October 25, reported The Hindu.
Sugar production in Karnataka is estimated to decline to 34.51 lakh tonnes in 2023-24 from 59.81 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, due to a reduction in the area under sugarcane and a decline in the sugar recovery rate, the minister said.
This decline in production can be attributed to a decrease in the area under sugarcane cultivation, which has diminished from 7.5 lakh hectares in the previous season (2022-23) to 6.5 lakh hectares in the current season(2023-24). The primary reason for this reduction is the adverse impact of drought conditions in the state. The Minister expressed concerns over the possibility of a sugar shortage due to the shortfall in cane production, a consequence of defecit rainfall that has negatively affected sugarcane yields.
Furthermore, the sugar recovery rate is expected to drop from 9.91% to 8%. To address the situation, the crushing season is set to commence earlier than usual, starting from October 25, as the sugarcane is expected to dry up sooner. Usually, the crushing season starts on November 1.
