Sugar output for 2013-14 revised lower by 5% at 23.8 mn tonnes

New Delhi, Mar 6. Country's sugar production for the marketing year 2013-14 has been revised downwards by 1.2 million tonnes to 23.8 million tonnes due to lower output estimates in Uttar Pradesh, industry body ISMA said today. The production was projected at 25 million tonnes for the marketing year 2013-14 (Oct-Sep) in September last year by the Indian Sugar Mills Association. "The Committee of ISMA in its meeting held on 6th March 2014 and after detailed deliberations has revised its earlier estimate of sugar production from 250 lakh tonnes to 238 lakh tonnes," ISMA said in a statement. The revision was done after examining in January satellite images of sugarcane crops, the harvested and unharvested areas and other factors. Estimated sugar production for the ongoing marketing year would be almost at par with annual domestic consumption of 23.5 million tonnes, but there would be adequate availability considering an opening stock of over 8 million tonnes. Sugar production of India, the world's second largest sugar producer and biggest consumer, stood at 25.1 million tonnes in the marketing year 2012-13. Compared with the estimates made in September last year, ISMA has lowered the output of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by 1.1 million tonnes and 1,00,000 tonnes, respectively. "The main reasons behind the lower sugar production in UP is damage of sugarcane crops due to heavy rainfall in Eastern UP region and diversion of sugarcane by farmers to alternate sweetener producers to make way for sowing of wheat due to late start of sugar mills. Though recovery percentage is good in the State, yield is estimated to be lower than last year," ISMA said. The sugar production in Maharashtra is expected to be at 7.8 million tonnes, followed by Uttar Pradesh (6.6 million tonnes), Karnataka (3.5 million tonnes), Tamil Nadu (1.5 million tonnes), Gujarat (1.17 million tonnes) and Andhra Pradesh (0.95 million tonnes). In Tamil Nadu, both yield and recovery percentage of sugar is lower than the last year's level.