Sugar output falls marginally to 18.8 mn tonnes so far: ISMA

New Delhi, Mar 4. The country produced 18.8 million tonnes of sugar in the first five months of the ongoing 2012-13 season that started from October 2012, slightly lower than the year-ago period, industry body ISMA said today. Production has started slowing down with 50-odd mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka closing crushing operations, it said and maintained that the country's overall sugar output is estimated to be 24.3 million tonnes for the current year. "452 mills have crushed about 190 million tonnes of sugarcane, to produce 18.8 million tonnes of sugar. This is 60,000 tonnes less than last year, despite almost same quantity of sugarcane crushed in both years," Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement. Maharashtra, the country's largest sugar producing state, has produced 6.53 million tonnes of sugar till February of the current year, as against 6.5 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Sugar recovery was lower at 11.15 per cent and 30 mills have already closed their operations. In Uttar Pradesh, the country second largest sugar producing state, sugar production has dropped slightly to 5.03 million tonnes from 5.29 million tonnes in the review period. Sugar recovery was 8.95 per cent. ISMA said the gap in sugar production in the state has widened due to continuous cold and unseasonal rains last month, which hampered sugarcane arrivals to mills. About 119 mills are operating in the state. Western Uttar Pradesh is showing better recoveries, but eastern region is lower and the central region is same as that of last year, it added. In the southern part of the country, sugar production in Karnataka stood at 3.02 million tonnes during October-February period of this year, three per cent lower than the year-ago period. Sugar recovery remained lower and production in Karnataka has also slowed down. Besides, 22 mills in the state already closed their operation for this year. Stating that Tamil Nadu is continuously reporting lesser sugar recovery, ISMA said the state has produced 9,30,000 tonnes of the sweetener so far this year with 44 mills under operation at 8.8 per cent recovery. Lower recovery in sugar was due to weak north–east monsoon last year along with drought impact on varieties like CoV 94101 which cover good acreage under some mills, it added. Andhra Pradesh has produced 8,30,000 tonnes of sugar so far in the ongoing marketing year with 28 mills under operation, which is about 3 per cent lower than year-ago year. Sugar recovery remained lower at 9.62 per cent. ISMA's sugar output estimate for this year is lower than 26 million tonnes achieved in 2011-12 marketing year.