The sugarcane crushing season in India almost comes to an end, with only three sugar mills continuing sugarcane crushing operations.
According to the data from the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited (NFCSF), as of May 31, 2024, the crushing for the season 2023-24 is ongoing in 3 sugar mills across the country. As of now, 3137.80 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of sugarcane have been crushed to produce 316.70 LMT of sugar.
A total of 534 sugar mills participated in the crushing season, of which 531 have now closed. In the previous season, 534 sugar mills participated, and 516 had closed operations during the same period.
Sugarcane crushing in the current season is slightly lower than the previous season, but sugar recovery is higher. The average sugar recovery in the current season is 10.09 percent, compared to 9.83 percent in the previous season during the same period.
Maharashtra is the leading producer of sugar in the current season, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
Except for Tamil Nadu, sugar mills in other states have ended operations. Sugar production in Maharashtra reached 110.20 LMT, whereas in Uttar Pradesh, sugar output is 103.65 LMT.
According to NFCSF, Indian sugar production is estimated to reach 321.25 lakh tonnes, compared to 333.90 lakh tonnes last season.
