Kathmandu: As the farmers are turning away from sugarcane cultivation, the sugar output in the country has decreased this year.
This year the country has witnessed 45% lower sugar output to 80,000 tonnes as against 1, 80,000 tonnes of sugar produced last year, according to the Nepal Sugar Industry Association.
The association has predicted the sugar output would be 130,000 tonnes this year but the actual output remained lower than expected due to sugarcane shortage.
Eight years ago sugar production in Nepal was estimated at 280,000 tonnes per year. The sugar output declines as the area under sugarcane cultivation continue to decline every year.
The dispute over the cane payment has resulted in reducing the number of farmers every year Four sugar mills out of total sugar mills in the country have halted their operations completely. The remaining ten mills are operating at lesser capacity due to a lack of sugarcane for crushing.
