India’s sugar output increases 4% from Oct 1-Jan 15, hits 15.7 million tonnes
India’s sugar production grew by nearly 4 per cent since the current season began last October, an industry body said in a statement on Tuesday.
This can be attributed to increased operation of more mills in the country.
Mills have produced 15.7 million tonnes of sugar so far in the season, up from 15.1 million tonnes churned out during the same period a year earlier, reported Reuters citing the Indian Sugar Mills Association.
Between October 1 and January 15, 515 sugar mills were operational in the country against 507 mills a year ago, the statement said.
Adverse weather hits Indian cane crop and curtails sugar output
India is likely to produce 34.3 million tonnes of sugar in 2022/23, down 4% from the previous forecast, after sugar cane yields in key producing states were hit by adverse weather, a senior industry official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Lower sugar output could limit exports from the world’s second-biggest exporter, lifting global prices and allowing rivals Brazil and Thailand to increase their shipments.
“Excessive rainfall and cloudy weather in September and October curtailed sugar cane’s vegetative growth. Cane yields are lower than the last year,” Prakash Naiknavare, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, told Reuters.
Small farmers must get irrigation, fertilisers, secure market at lower cost to transform food systems: R K Singh
Developed countries should walk the talk on transforming food systems by helping small farmers in developing countries with cheaper access to irrigation, fertilisers and markets, Union Minister Raj Kumar Singh said on Wednesday.
In a strong rebuttal to the criticism about India continuing to buy oil from Russia, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy also asserted that the Indian import of Russian oil was only a fraction of what was being purchased by Europe and before lecturing others the West must stop their Russian oil dealings entirely.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 here, Singh said India is helping farmers reduce their carbon footprint with solar water pumps and green ammonia.
