India's Sugar Output May Decrease Further Due to Early Maturing of Cane Crop

Lower sugar production could prevent Thailand & Brazil from increasing their shipments and prevent the second-largest exporter in the world from allowing more exports, which could support global prices. According to trade bodies last month, India was expected to produce 34 to 34.3 million tonnes of sugar in the 2022–23 marketing year ending on September 30.

This is a decrease from the 35.8 million tonnes produced during the previous season. However, decreasing sugar cane yields in the top-producing Maharashtra state and the third-largest producer Karnataka as a result of the crop's early maturity have caused some trade houses to further reduce production estimates.

An international trading firm has lowered its forecast for production to 32.4 million tonnes in anticipation of a significant decline in Maharashtra's output to roughly 11.3 million tonnes. The state of Maharashtra's sugar cane commissioner anticipated a production of 12.8 million tonnes. The cane crop has been flowering due to early maturity.

Avinash Thombare, a sugar cane grower from the Satara district, said as he displayed the crop with white flowers, "The cane crop is just 10 months old, but started flowering last month and losing weight. Reduced solar radiation during the cane development period as a result of unusually cloudy conditions during the second half of the monsoon season, according to Alvean's Virgino, caused widespread early flowering, a sign of crop stress.

According to a government official who wished to remain anonymous, cane shortages have caused sugar mills in Maharashtra and neighbouring Karnataka to close their doors. At least 17 mills have already done so, and another twenty were predicted to do so before the end of February.

Another government official stated that the possibility of additional exports has been eliminated due to the continuous downward revision of the output estimate. In contrast to the record 11 million tonnes exported the season before, India has only permitted sugar mills to export 6.1 million tonnes of the sweetener in the current season.