AISTA raises sugar output estimate to 32 mn tonne for 2023-24 season

New Delhi: Sugar trade body AISTA on Monday revised the country’s sugar production upward by 4,00,000 tonne to 32 million tonne for the 2023-24 season (October-September) on the rise in production in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The estimated net domestic sugar production excludes the diversion of sucrose for ethanol production, it said in a statement.

With an estimated sugar production of 32 million tonne and an opening stock of 5.7 million tonne, the availability of sugar in the country is likely to be 37.7 million tonne, which is higher than the estimated domestic consumption of 29 million tonne, it added.

In the previous 2022-23 season, sugar production was 32.9 million tonne.

According to the All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) Chairman Praful Vithalani, the crop committee has revised sugar production estimates marginally from 31.6 million tonne to 32 million tonne for the 2023-24 season.

Sugar production in Maharashtra is estimated to increase by 1.2 million tonne but decrease by almost the same 1.1 million tonne quantity in Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, the estimated decline of 3 million tonne in Tamil Nadu is likely to be compensated by a gain of 0.4 million tonne in Karnataka, he said.

In the remaining states, the production estimates are almost the same as the first estimates.

“However, the change in state-wise production scenario is likely to affect trade flow in sugar trade with more sugar going from surplus Maharasthra to sugar deficient states,” Vithalani

said.