Preliminary estimates for the 2012-13 sugar season in Tamil Nadu indicate that sugarcane availability could be slightly higher than that of the current year.

The official estimate is based on the ongoing registration of sugarcane crop by farmers with sugar mills and the performance in the current season.

According to the estimate, sugarcane crushing by the mills in the ongoing 2011-12 (October-September) season could touch about 230 lakh tonnes (lt).

Sugar production as of mid-June was 18.78 lt with the private sector sugar mills accounting for about 14.4 lt and the cooperative and public sector mills about 4.33 lt. With over half a dozen mills still in operation and the special season expected to start in a month’s time, sugar production could reach about 20 lt.

Production in the current season, as of now, has increased by about 15 per cent over that of the last season.

According to official statistics, for the coming season sugarcane area registered with sugar mills were 5.35 lakh acres as of May. Of this, the private sector mills’ registration is about 3.63 lakh acres and cooperative and public sector 1.72 lakh acres. With the average output of 40 tonnes an acre, the expected sugarcane output would be about 215 lt at current levels.

Farmers will continue registering their crop with the mills over the coming months and by the start of the season the area is set to exceed the current season’s registration which was 6.80 lakh acres.

However, industry representatives sound a note of caution. With delay in rain early in the season and a crop that stretches over one year before harvest, the estimates are at best early indications. As of now the coming season could match or be slightly bigger than that of the current season’s output.