MEDIA RELEASE: Sugar production upto 15th April, 2016

· Till 15^th April 2016, 243.44 lakh tons of sugar has been produced by sugar mills during the current sugar season.  This is about 21.24 lakh tons less than the sugar produced upto the same corresponding period last year when 264.68 lakh tons of sugar was produced.

 ·As compared to 245 sugar mills operating on 15^th April last year, around 117 sugar mills are operating as on 15^th April, 2016.  

 · 83.60 lakh tons of sugar has been produced upto 15^th April 2016 in Maharashtra, which is about 16.01 lakh tons lower as compared to 99.61 lakh tons of sugar produced upto 15^th April last year.  As compared to 84 sugar mills operating at this time last year, there are 24 sugar mills crushing sugarcane in Maharashtra as on 15^th April 2016. 

 ·  The Maharashtra sugar mills have crushed 740 lakh tons of sugarcane upto 15^th April 2016 at an average recovery of 11.29%, which is slightly lower than 880 lakh tons of sugarcane crushed last year.

 · The sugar mills in U.P. have produced 67.75 lakh tons of sugar which is almost at the same level of sugar production at the same time last year.  The mills have crushed 639 lakh tons of sugarcane till 15^th April 2016 and have got an average sugar recovery of  10.6% during the current season, as compared to 707 lakh tons of sugarcane crushed last year at an average recovery rate of  9.60%. As compared to 44 sugar mills which were crushing sugarcane last year on 15^th April, 19 mills are crushing cane as on 15^thApril 2016.

 ·Karnataka has produced 40 lakh tons of sugar.  In the previous season, Karnataka had produced 45.86 lakh tons upto 15^thApril.  As against 39 Sugar mills which were operating last year on 15^th April, only 5 sugar mills are operating in Karnataka, and all these are in Southern part of the State. South Karnataka sugar mills  produce sugar in September too in the special season.

· Andhra Pradesh produced 8.10 lakh tons of sugar, 0.65 lakh tons less than last year. 5 mills are crushing sugarcane against 3 last year on 15^th April. 

 ·Tamil Nadu has produced 9.25 lakh tons of sugar upto 15^th April 2016, which is about 1 lakh more than last year.  It is expected that another about 4.50 lakh tons of sugar will get produced in the remaining period of the season, including in August – September when the mills have a special season in Tamil Nadu.

 · During the first 6 months of current season i.e. 1^st October 2015 to 31^st March, 2016, the sugar mills have dispatched 132 lakh tons of sugar for sale in the domestic market, which is 5 lakh tons more as compared to despatches of 127 lakh tons during the same six month period in the last sugar season.  The slightly higher despatches are because of better lifting during the last few months after improvement in the market sentiments.  Upto 31^st March, 2016, about 13.5 lakh tons of sugar has been exported by sugar mills.

 · As compared to the cane price arrears of 2015-16 sugar season of over Rs. 21800 crore as on 12^th April 2015 last year, cane price arrears during the current season are lower at about Rs. 13300 crore.  With the improvement in domestic market, it is expected that cane price payments to the farmers will improve and arrears will come down substantially further in the next few months.