Sugar Production may increase this year

Sugar production is expected to be around 18.5 million tonnes in the current market year (October-September), higher than an estimated 17 million tonnes, an industry official said Wednesday.

'The higher output expected this year is due to delayed rains which helped to improve sugar yields,' Vinay Kumar, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, told reporters here after meeting Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Sugar production from October 2009 till date has increased by over 26 percent to around 17 million tonnes from 13.2 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

The country's biggest sugar producing state, Maharashtra, is likely to produce around 6.5 million tonnes.

'The state has produced over 6 million tonnes till now,' Kumar said.

source: mynews