Sugar is mainly sucrose and it is practically a source of calorie/energy. It is present in seed grains and roots as wheat, rice, potatoes and is also found in fruits honey, sugarcane, beets, milk etc. Sugar is chemically as a simple Carbohydrate as glucose, sucrose, lactose and complex as starch, cellulose, fibers etc. It contains nutritional value of 99.4% of carbohydrate, 0.1% protein, 0.1% minerals and 0.4% of moisture. The main function of sugar is to supply energy. Without energy we cannot live and it is the fuel of life. Low intake of sugar is associated with weight loss and high intake of sugar is associated with obesity and other health problems. Hence, moderate intake of sugar is recommended.

Sugar Industry in India is the second largest agro-based industry in the country next to cotton textiles. The Indian Sugar Industry is playing a pivotal role in rural development, supporting over about 50 million sugarcane farmers, their dependents and a large mass of agricultural laborers involved in sugarcane cultivation, harvesting, machine manufacturing etc. of almost 671 sugar mills and ancillary activities, constituting some 7.5% of the rural population. In addition, about 0.5 million skilled and semiskilled workers, mostly from the rural areas are engaged in the sugar industry. Thus, the sugar industry has been a focal point for socio-economic development in the rural areas by mobilizing rural resources, generating employment & higher income, besides giving a fillip to transport and communication facilities.

Sugar Industry in India has come a long way from its inception in the 1930s. In 1950, there were 139 sugar factories in the country with an annual installed capacity of 16.7 lakh tonnes and now the country has about 671 sugar factories(including closed ones) with an annual sugar production of 241 lakh tonnes. India has 20% of the total sugar mills in the world and accounts for about 15% of the global production