After a disappointing sugar season this year, sugar mills in Maharashtra are expecting output to double to 100 million tonne next crop season starting in October due to favourable climatic conditions.

Around 50 per cent of sugar mills in Maharashtra could not start crushing this year due to lower cane availability on the back of severe flooding in key sugar producing regions of the State.

Only 137 sugar mills were in operation till December against 189 mills in the same period last year.

Decline this year

Harshwardhan Patil, a former State minister, said sugar production in the State is likely to decline sharply to 55 lt this year against 93 lt registered last year but the output is going to bounce back to hit 100 lt next year. He was addressing the annual Sugar Conclave here, organised by the All India Sugar Trade Association on Saturday.

However, Suresh Rana, Minister from Uttar Pradesh, said the State had managed to double farmers’ income because of a bumper crop and better price support from the government.

On the back of bumper crop, he said disbursement of payment by sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh to farmers had gone up to ₹84,000 crore this year from ₹35,400 crore in 2017-18.

Industry plea

Industry representatives at the Conclave urged the government to consider dual sugar pricing policy, which means a higher price for bulk consumers and lower price for retail consumers.

Patil said Maharashtra is one of the largest producers of ethanol, which helped reduce the country’s crude oil import bill, and urged the government to help farmers in dealing with challenges arising from climate change.

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