The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), the apex body representing the sugar and bio-energy industry in India, has expressed an optimistic outlook for the upcoming 2025–26 Sugar Season.
ISMA anticipates improved crop prospects in the southern region, stating, “Benefiting from a favorable southwest monsoon in 2024, sugarcane planting for the 2025–26 season has reportedly shown notable improvement in key producing states like Maharashtra and Karnataka. Consequently, the crushing season is anticipated to begin as per schedule in October 2025, ensuring adequate supply position.”
According to sugar body, in Uttar Pradesh and other northern regions, ongoing varietal replacement initiatives are delivering encouraging outcomes. These advancements are expected to enhance both cane yield and sugar recovery rates, thereby strengthening overall production performance in the upcoming season.
Seasonal forecasts from both the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Skymet project a normal southwest monsoon for 2025. “This reinforces confidence in a favorable agro-climatic environment, supporting a healthy sugarcane crop and robust production potential for the 2025–26 season,” ISMA further added.
ISMA has also released sugar production data as of April 15, 2025. In the current 2024–25 Sugar Season, India’s sugar production has reached 254.97 lakh tonnes as of mid-April.
Out of 534 sugar factories that participated in the ongoing season, 496 have shut down operations. Thirty-eight sugar factories are still operational across the country.
Following table gives state-wise detail of sugar production this year:
Around 35 lakh tonnes of sugar is expected to be diverted towards ethanol production this year, against last year diversion of 21.5 lakh tonnes. In Uttar Pradesh, around 22 factories remain operational, with approximately 16 of them located in Western UP.
According to ISMA, owing to the improved yield of plant cane, cane availability has improved in the state of UP and these factories are expected to remain in operation upto late April 2025/May first week. Moreover, sugar recovery has also shown improvement in the second half of the season resulting in better output of sugar. In Maharashtra, one sugar mill in Pune district is expected to remain operational until the second week of May 2025.
It is also noteworthy that some factories in South Karnataka are expected to restart operations during the special season from June/July to September 2025. Historically, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu together contribute around 4–5 lakh tonnes of sugar during this special season.
