As on November 15, 117 sugar mills have started crushing operations, while last year the season commenced in the fourth week of November due to drought and lesser cultivable area.

By November 15, Maharashtra mills had produced 5.65 lakh tonnes of sugar. However, mills are not sure of what they will do with excess sugar production. Policy decisions regarding the export policy along with the export subsidy for the sugar year 2020-21, and the creation of buffer stock along with buffer subsidy, are still awaited from the centre. During the last season 2019-20, about two lakh tonnes of sugar had already been shipped out for exports on the corresponding date.

According to the Indian Sugar Mill Association (ISMA), owing to good rainfall and sufficient water availability in reservoirs in Maharashtra and Karnataka, as also better cane availability due to higher cane acreage and improved yield per hectare, the crushing season commenced well in time during the last week of October this year.

In Karnataka, 49 sugar mills are in operation as on November 15 and have produced 3.40 lakh tonnes, while in Gujarat 14 sugar mills have produced 80,000 tonnes sugar.

Overall across the States, sugar production till November 15 was at 14.10 lakh tonnes as against 4.84 lakh tonnes last year at the same time. As compared to 127 sugar factories which were crushing sugarcane last year on November 15, this year, 274 sugar mills are operational.