Id: 10 Name: Media Release Delhi Venue: Isma Date: 03 Jan 2012 Event Pdf: PRESS RELEASE Sugar industry has produced 75.78 lakh tons of sugar upto 31st December, 2011 in the current sugar season, which is around 11 lakh tons more than the sugar production upto 31st December of last year of 64.58 lakh tons. This shows an increase of 17% on a period to period comparison. Most of the increase is on account of Uttar Pradesh which has shown an increase of almost 5 lakh tons over last year, Maharashtra has shown an increase of about 3 lakh tons and Karnataka has shown an increase of about 2 lakh tons. Almost 50% of the increase is on account of higher production in Uttar Pradesh till 31st December 2011, which is mainly because of the fact that the sugar mills in U.P. had to start their crushing much earlier than usual, as directed by the State Government. Accordingly, U.P has crushed 261 lakh tons of sugarcane till 31st December, 2011 in comparison to 197 lakh tons of sugarcane last year upto the same period. Though the quantum of cane crushing is higher, the early crushing has affected the recovery which is lower at 8.45% till 31st December, 2011 in comparison to 8.81% last year. The story in Maharashtra is slightly different where the cane crushing upto 31st December, 2011 was 266 lakh tons in comparison to 231 lakh tons crushed last year upto the same period. But due to higher recovery of 10.35% achieved this year as compared to 9.80% last year, the sugar production is higher. Maharashtra State is however expecting a lower yield of sugarcane and therefore, one will have to wait to see the cane production figures of Maharashtra probably at the end of January, 2012 to better estimate final production of mills in Maharashtra. The number of sugar factories crushing as on 31st December, 2011 was 503 in comparison to 490 as on 31st December, 2010. The sugar industry led by Indian Sugar Mills Association and National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd. would be carrying out its second satellite mapping on sugarcane harvesting for 2011-12 sugar season, in the beginning of February, 2012 to firm up/update the industry`s estimate of 260 lakh tons of sugar production of 2011-12 season.