With only a few weeks remaining in the harvest season, mills’ sugar production for the current 2024–25 season (October–September) has topped 25.59 million tonne (MT). According to the Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), the production of sweeteners for the entire season is expected to be about 26.4 million tonne MT, excluding 3.5 MT set aside for ethanol.
This is in contrast to the 29.9 MT of sweetener produced during the 2023–24 season, which does not include the 2.1 MT of sugar that was diverted for biofuel manufacturing. Eight MT was the opening stock on October 1st, the start of the current sugar season.
Only 28 of the 534 mills in the nation are currently operating due to seasonal factors in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh. The first week of May will mark the closure of 16 operating units for processing. By the end of the 2024–25 season, the carry forward sugar stocks would exceed the two months’ production norm, which ISMA estimates to be 4.5 MT.
The sugar processors’ organization had predicted sugar production at 27.2 MT at the start of the year. This has decreased due to lower sugarcane yields in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which have decreased cane availability.
A contract for 0.3 MT of shipment has been entered, according to industry sources, and 0.4 MT of sweetener has been exported thus far this season.
In January 2025, after limiting the export of sweeteners during the 2023–24 season, the government permitted the export of one metric tonne of sugar during the current 2024–25 season, taking into account domestic supply and the shift to ethanol production.
