Sugar Shipments Jump over Three-Fold to 31.5 Lakh Tonnes in Oct-Jan

India's sugar exports increased 242 percent in the first four months of the sugar season 2021-22 due to strong demand. According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the apex trade body, shipments during the October-January period totaled 31.5 lakh tonnes, up from 9.2 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.

So far, Indian exporters have contracted approximately 50 lakh tonnes of sweeteners for export. Furthermore, it has been reported that over 8 lakh tonnes of sugar are on their way to being exported in February 2022.

Furthermore, ISMA reported that sugar output was up 5.6 percent to 220.91 lakh tonnes in mid-February, compared to 209.11 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. So far, 13 sugar mills have ceased crushing operations out of 516 sugar mills that began crushing in the 2021-22 sugar season. Last year, there were 496 sugar mills in operation, 32 of which had stopped crushing on the corresponding date the year before.

Sugar production in Maharashtra was 14% higher, at 86.15 lakh tonnes, compared to 75.46 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.

However, in Uttar Pradesh, sugar production this season is falling short of last year's levels. Sugar output in UP was about 9% lower in mid-February, at 59.32 lakh tonnes, compared to 65.13 lakh tonnes in the same period last year.

In Karnataka, sugar output was 15% higher at 44.85 lakh tonnes as of mid-February, compared to 39.07 lakh tonnes. Also, production in Gujarat increased to 6.91 lakh tonnes (up from 6.55 lakh tonnes in the same period last year), while production in Tamil Nadu increased to 3.60 lakh tonnes (2.47 lakh tonnes).

Until mid-February, the remaining states of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Odisha had produced a total of 20.08 lakh tonnes.

Ethanol Requirement & Allocation

On the ethanol front, ISMA stated that suppliers have offered approximately 39 crore litres out of the 95 crore litres required by the oil marketing companies (OMCs) in the fourth 4 cycle. The OMCs are currently reviewing the bids and are expected to make allocations soon. However, OMCs have already allocated approximately 385 crore litres of ethanol from various feedstocks for the 2021-22 Ethanol supply year.