Sugar output 22 per cent up in first half of season

The country is estimated to have produced 16.7 million tonnes of sugar in the first six months of 2009-10 season ending September, nearly 22 per cent more than the output in the same period last season, an industry body said.

The increased output is due higher supply of cane in Maharasthra and Uttar Pradesh, two of the top sugar producing states in the country, the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) said.

India had produced 13.7 million tonnes in the same period last year, the NFCSF said.

"Higher supply of cane has boosted sugar production in UP and Maharashtra," NFCSF Managing Director Vinay Kumar said.

So far, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh together have estimated to have produced 11.1 million tonnes of sugar in the current season (October-September), higher than the 8.5 million tonnes achieved in the last season, he said.Karnataka produced 2.

source: ptinews