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The availability of sugar in the country is sufficient to meet the domestic requirement, said the Ministry
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Sugar production in the current sugar season (2021-22) is expected to be 13 per cent higher than the previous sugar season, said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in a statement on Tuesday.
The production of sugar in the current sugar season is estimated to be about 350 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) (after discounting the diversion of 35 LMT of sugar to ethanol) against the estimated domestic consumption of about 278 LMT, said the ministry.
According to the ministry, there was a carryover stock of about 85 LMT at the beginning of the sugar season 2021-22. Even after likely export of about 95 LMT, the closing stock for the current sugar season at the end of September 2022 is likely to be more than 60 LMT.
"The availability of sugar in the country is sufficient to meet the domestic requirement. As such, there will be smooth availability of sugar and the sugar prices in the domestic market are expected to remain stable at reasonable levels," the statement added.
From ethanol supply year (ESY) 2013-14 (December to November) to ESY 2020-21, about Rs 53,000 crore revenue has been generated by sugar mills and distilleries from the sale of ethanol to oil marketing companies (OMCs), it added.
In the current ESY 2021-22, more than Rs 18,000 crore revenue is expected to be generated by sugar mills from the sale of ethanol to OMCs, according to the ministry.
The ministry said that in the previous sugar season 2020-21, out of cane dues payable of Rs 92,938 crores, about Rs 92,480 crore cane dues have been paid to farmers, as on 18 April 2022. Thus, 99.5 per cent of cane dues of the previous sugar season have been cleared.
In the current sugar season 2021-22, out of total cane dues payable of Rs 91,468 crores, about Rs 74,149 crore have been paid to farmers as on 18 April 2022 which is more than 80 per cent.
"It is expected that in the current sugar season, cane price payment of more than Rs 1,00,000 crores would be made by sugar mills to farmers. Increase in export and diversion of sugarcane to ethanol has expedited cane price payments to farmers," it added.