New Delhi: Sugar cooperative body NFCSF today estimated sugar production at 24.5 million tonnes for the next year, slightly higher than the projections made by private mills body ISMA. However, the estimate of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) is lower than the current year's production of 26 million tonnes due to poor monsoon.

"The Federation estimates sugar output of 24.5 million tonnes for 2012-13 marketing year (October-September)," NFCSF Managing Director Vinay Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a sugar event here.

Recently, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) had pegged the country's total sugar output at 24 million tonnes for 2012-13 marketing year due to an expected fall in production in Maharashtra and Karnataka following poor monsoon and diversion of sugarcane to fodder.

Kumar said that barring Maharashtra, the production estimate of NFCSF for other major sugar producing states is in line with ISMA.

Production in Maharashtra, the country's biggest sugar producing state, is expected to be 7 million tonnes in 2012-13, as against 9 million tonnes this year, he said.

Where as ISMA's output projection for Maharashtra is 6.5 million tonnes for next year, he added.

According to the cooperative body, sugar output in Uttar Pradesh, the country's second biggest sugar producing state, is estimated to rise to 8 million tonnes from 7 million tonnes in the review period.

Production in Karnataka is expected to decline to 3 million tonne on 2012-13 from 3.8 million tonnes this year due to deficit rains, it said.

The country is expected to have export surplus of 2 million tonnes for next year, it added.