Sugar output down 8.5% till Mar 15 of this year: ISMA

New Delhi, Mar 18. The country's sugar production has declined by 8.5 per cent to 19.38 million tonnes till March 15th of the current marketing year due to lower output in key producing states, according to industry body ISMA. The production stood at 21.1 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year. Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) has revised overall sugar production forecast downward by five per cent to 23.8 million tonnes for the ongoing 2013-14 marketing year (October-September). Last year, the output was 25.1 million tonnes. In an official release, ISMA said the gap in sugar production is narrowing down. About 428 sugar mills were still crushing sugarcane as on March 15 of this year, as against 362 mills in the year-ago period. According to latest data, sugar mills in top two producing states -- Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh -- have produced less sugar so far. A similar situation prevailed in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Sugar production in Maharashtra was 6.41 million tonnes till March 15 of this year, down from 7.23 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh was down at 5.07 million tonnes from 5.89 million tonnes, while sugar production in Gujarat remained lower at 9,70,000 tonnes from 9,91,000 tonnes in the review period. Production in Andhra Pradesh too was lower by four per cent at 8,80,000 tonnes till March 15th of this year, while the output in Tamil Nadu was down at 8,00,000 tonnes as against 11,50,000 tonnes in the same period a year ago. However, sugar production in Karnataka was up by eight per cent at 3,45,000 tonnes in the review period. During the October-February period of this year, mills manufactured around 1.1 million tonnes of raw sugar. About 6,00,000 tonnes of raw sugar has been exported, ISMA said. The industry body said that mills dispatched 10 million tonnes of sugar for sale in domestic market between October and February of this year, as compared to 9.6 million tonnes in the year-ago period.