Sugar production down 22% to 233 lakh tonnes till March 31, says ISMA

Sugar mills in the country produced 232.74 lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar until March 31, virtually 22 per cent lessen than the 296.82 lt produced in the corresponding interval of the earlier year, claimed a assertion issued by the Indian Sugar Mills Affiliation (ISMA) on Wednesday.

Even however the spread of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown originally disrupted the motion of sugar due to lousy availability of vans, interventions by the Meals Ministry and notifications by the Home Ministry have served the mills resume dispatches over the previous four-5 days, ISMA claimed. The sugar business human body claimed there is ample sugar inventory in the country and there will not be any shortage.

Lime availability

With regard to inputs for functioning sugar mills, the main stress was unavailability of lime since of the closing down of lime quarries in Rajasthan adhering to the lockdown. On the other hand, the Rajasthan federal government has claimed lime quarries and kilns can resume functions, ISMA claimed.

Mills in Uttar Pradesh, the No 1 sugar generating Condition, produced 97.2 lt of sugar until March 31, a tiny more than ninety five.sixty seven lt in the earlier-year interval. Out of 119 sugar mills, only six have stopped crushing functions so considerably. In Maharashtra, on the other hand, sugar creation was 58.70 lt in comparison to 105.16 lt in the earlier-year interval. Out of 118 mills that operated this year, 28 mills are still crushing sugarcane.

Mills in Karnataka produced 33.five lt sugar until March 31, about ten lt lessen than in the earlier year interval. Sugar creation from States together with Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Bihar was at 43.34 lt.

Ethanol offer

ISMA claimed sugar companies are struggling with some difficulties in ethanol offer. This is generally since of lessen offtake of petrol, due to which some of the depots of the oil marketing companies (OMCs) are unable to just take even further materials of ethanol due to lack of storage place.

Given that unique contracts have been entered into in between sugar companies and OMCs for ethanol materials, which are depot-distinct throughout the country, ISMA requested OMCs to reallocate the quantities to other depots the place they have tankage/storage place.