PRESS RELEASE
Sugar production till 30th November, 2015 in the current 2015-16 SS is 23.60 lac tons, which is 4.62 lac tons more than the production in the last season upto the same corresponding period when 18.98 lac tons of sugar was produced. As compared to 343 sugar factories which were crushing sugarcane last year on 30th November, 2014, 351 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane on 30th November, 2015 this year.
Most of the sugar mills in Maharashtra have started their crushing operation and 158 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane as on 30th November, 2015 as compared to 155 last year. They have produced 12.87 lac tons of sugar upto 30th November, 2015 as compared to 11.95 lac tons produced in the corresponding period last year. The slightly higher sugar production is mainly because larger number of sugar mills started their crushing operation earlier this year as compared to last season.
In the case of Uttar Pradesh 66 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane on 30th November, 2015 who have produced 1.80 lac tons as on 30th November, 2015. At the end of November, 2014 last year, 65 sugar mills were crushing in Uttar Pradesh who had produced 1.0 lac tons, which is slightly less than what they have done this year. The crushing in UP has just begun.
In the State of Karnataka 60 sugar mills were crushing on 30th November, 2015 and 5.68 lac tons of sugar was produced. As compared to this, last year as on 30th November, 2014, 51 sugar mills were crushing sugarcane who had produced 3.2 lac tons of sugar.
In Gujarat, all 18 sugar mills have started crushing on 30th November, 2015 and they have produced 2.25 lac tons of sugar. Last year on 30th November, 2014, 17 mills were in operation and they produced 1.69 lac tons of sugar.
Crushing operation in all the other States have also begun and slowly and slowly the pace of crushing is picking up. The other States have produced 1.0 lac tons in this season upto 30th November, 2015, which in the previous season upto 30th November, 2014 was slightly lower at 1.14 lac tons.
With the new season’s sugar now available in the market, there are reports that contracts for exports are getting finalized faster than what was being noticed last month. As per market reports around 4 lac tons of contracts for exports have been finalized, mostly as white sugar and that around 1.75 lac tons of sugar exports have taken place since 1st October, 2015. The sugar prices which had fallen till July 2015 since October 2014 last year, and had reached the lowest in the 6-7 years, had improved by Rs.4-5 per kilo at the mill gate. However, ex-mill sugar prices have stabilized at the current levels in the last 15-20 days. As compared to ex-mill sugar prices prevailing last year at the same time, the current ex-mill prices are still lower by a couple of rupees. Further, as compared to cost of production the current ex-mill prices are still lower by around Rs.5 to 6 per kilo.