According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association, as on 15th December, 2020, 460 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane for the year 2020-21 SS and they have produced 73.77 lakh tonnes of sugar, i.e. 27.96 lakh tonnes higher than the sugar production on the corresponding date of previous sugar season, of 45.81 lakh tonnes of sugar. Last year on the corresponding date, 412 mills were operating. Sugar production is high by 61 per cent.
In Uttar Pradesh, 118 mills have produced 22.60 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15th December, 2020, 1.35 lakh tonnes higher than last year, when 119 sugar mills had together produced 21.25 lakh tonnes on the corresponding period.
In Maharashtra, 173 sugar mills are in operation and they have produced 26.96 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15th December, 2020. In 2019-20 SS, 124 sugar mills were in operation as on 15th December, 2019 and they had produced 7.66 lakh tonnes. Current year production is about 19.30 lakh tonnes higher than the last year figure on the corresponding date. The higher production is because of earlier start of crushing operations in Maharashtra and higher availability of sugarcane in this season.
Similarly, in the third largest producer of sugar viz. Karnataka, 64 sugar mills are in operation who have produced 16.65 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15th December, 2020. This is about 6.03 lakh tonnes higher than the last year sugar production of 10.62 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 SS as on 15th December, 2019.
In Gujarat, 15 sugar mills are in operation and they have produced 2.40 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15th December, 2020. In 2019-20 SS, as on 15th December, 2019 when similar number of sugar mills were in operation and had produced 1.52 lakh tonnes of sugar till that date.
There are 10 sugar mills in operation in Tamil Nadu and sugar production till 15th December, 2020 was about 0.8 lakh tonnes, as compared to 0.73 lakh tonnes produced by similar number of sugar mills as on 15th December, 2019.
Crushing operations in all the other States have also begun and the pace of crushing is picking up. About 80 sugar mills are operating in other States who have collectively produced 4.36 lakh tonnes of sugar in this season upto 15th December, 2020, which in the previous season was 4.03 lakh tonnes, when 81 mills were operating as on 15th December, 2019.
