Source: Ukragroconsult (Ukraine)
According to the latest estimate released by the Indian Sugar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) yesterday, the country’s sugar production in the new 2024/25 season will be 33.31 million tons, lower than the 33.99 million tons projected for the current 2023/24 season.
ISMA estimated stocks at the start of the 2024/25 season at 9.05 million tons in October. With domestic consumption of 29 million tons at the end of the season in September 2025, the country’s commercial stocks at the end of the season in September 2025 would be 13.35 million tons of sugar, 7.85 million tons more than the required normal stock level of 5.5 million tons. “The surplus sugar stocks will be sufficient to support the ethanol production program for blending with gasoline in the 2024/25 season,” ISMA said in a statement.
Sugar production in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka is expected to decline by 3 to 5 percent in the 2024/25 season and sugarcane area by about 13 percent and 8 percent, respectively, due to the moisture deficit in the major sugarcane growing areas last year. This year, rainfall in these states is about 30 percent above normal and the outlook for the remaining monsoon season is positive. The high rainfall is expected to increase sugarcane and sugar yields and offset the impact of the reduced acreage.