The new sugar season has commenced on a sluggish note with sugar production dwindling by 64 per cent till November 15 as compared to the same period last season, according to data released by Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) on Wednesday.

India's sugar production during the current season, which commenced last month, was 4.85 lakh tonnes (lt) as against 13.38 lt produced in the corresponding period of the previous season.

In the current season, sugar mills in the country have shipped out 2 lt of sugar and have signed contracts for another 12 lt, the ISMA note said.

The drastic fall in production was on account of a slow start to the crushing season, particularly in the flood-hit States of Maharashtra and Karnataka. While sugar mills in Maharashtra

are yet to commence crushing, Karnataka's mills produced only 1.43 lakh tonnes of sugar till November 15 as against 3.6 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. As many as 149 sugar mills were in operation this time last year, it said.

Both Maharashtra and Karnataka faced a drought last year, because of which the area planted under sugarcane dropped by about 30 per cent as compared to last season.

With lower rainfall and water availability, yields and recoveries are expected to be lower. The Maharashtra government said the crushing of sugarcane by mills will start from November 22.

Uttar Pradesh, the leading sugar producing State, reported sugar production of 2.93 lt so far. This is 1.23 lt more than in the corresponding period last season. As many as 69 mills are currently crushing sugarcane in the State, ISMA said.