Sugar output up by over 16% at 13.4 mn tonne till Feb

The country's sugar output rose by over 16% to 13.4 million tonnes in the first four-and-half months of the 2010-11 crop year, as against 11.5 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

"Mills have reported sugar production of 13.4 million tonnes till February 15 of this crop year. The output is higher by 16 per cent from the year-ago period," a senior government official told PTI.

The government has estimated sugar output at 24.5 million tonnes in the ongoing 2010-11 crop year (October-September), as against around 19 million tonnes in the previous year.

The domestic consumption has been pegged at 22 million tonnes.

The sugar crop year runs from October to September, but crushing of sugarcane normally ends in April in Maharashtra and UP, which together produces more than 60% of the country's total sugar output.