The All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) reported that post-Diwali, the sugarcane crushing operation for the 2023–24 season is well underway throughout the country. According to AISTA chairman Praful Vithalani, all sugar factories have commenced their crushing operations.
Official data indicates there are over 700 operational sugar factories in the country, collectively capable of processing around 340 lakh metric tonnes of sugar.
For the 2023–24 crop year (July–June), the agriculture ministry’s initial estimate forecasts a higher total sugarcane production of 434.79 million metric tonnes compared to the previous year’s production of 422.25 million metric tonnes. This increase is notably driven by the first estimate released by the ministry.
The opening stock of sugar stood at 5.7 million metric tonnes as of October 1, attributed to a slight decline in domestic production during the 2022–23 season due to adverse weather conditions in certain producing states.
The country’s annual domestic consumption of sugar is estimated to be approximately 29 million metric tonnes.
