Maharashtra is likely to witness another bumper production in sugar with the mills likely to produce 12.2 million tonnes (mt) next season starting October. Maharashtra Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, in a letter to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, has said that an estimated 12.32 lakh hectares (lh) of area in the State will likely be under sugarcane cultivation during the 2021-22 season. 

Mills are likely to crush 1,09.6 mt cane and thus production will be higher than the 10.6.3 mt of sugar after crushing 101.2 mt of cane in the current season for which crushing operations have ended. The estimated 12.2 mt of sugar production in the next season does not include diversion of sugar for ethanol production.

Financial burden

Even as many mills are not sure of starting crushing season owing to financial burden, the Sugar Commissioner told the Ministry that out of 245 installed mills in the State about 192 mills will operate during the next crushing season. 

In the current season, 190 took part in the crushing season compared with 144 sugar mills in the previous season. Indian Sugar Mill Association (ISMA) has said that to maintain liquidity of funds, mills are under pressure to sell sugar at low prices. Many mills are still not able to pay the mandated fair and remunerative prices (FRP) for the cane crushed in the 2020-21 season.

According to experts increase in sugarcane cultivation in the State is the result of series of lockdowns. As a majority of small vegetable and food grain growers suffered heavily due to the closure of markets, they are looking for assured income against the backdrop of likely Covid-19 third wave.