Sugar exports from India, the world's second-largest producer, are likely see an over 80 percent jump to 20 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 marketing year, even as the production is set to drop by 9 percent.
Sugar mills have received contracts to export 14 lakh tonnes (LT) of the sweetener since October and are likely to ship out another 5-6 LT by the end of the season in September.
Mills had exported 11 LT sugar in the entire 2014-15 marketing year (October-September).
In September, the Centre had directed cash-starved sugar mills to compulsorily export 40 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 in order to clear huge arrears to the farmers.
Meanwhile, sugar production in India, second to the Brazil's, fell for the first time this year with output dipping to 221.30 lakh tonnes till March 15 as against 221.57 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.
Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) expects country's sugar output to fall by around 9 percent in 2015-16 as against 283 lakh tonnes in the 2014-15.
ISMA had earlier pegged the sugar production for 2015-16 at 260 lakh tonnes.
"As per reports furnished by sugar mills, contracts have been finalised for 14 lakh tonnes for exports against MIEQ, of which about 11.5 lakh tonnes have already been moved from mills to ports. It is expected that sugar mills can export another 5 to 6 lakh tonnes in the remaining period of the current sugar season," ISMA said in a statement.
On production, ISMA said "sugar mills in the country have produced 221.30 lakh tonnes of sugar during the current season up to 15th March. This is almost at the same level as that of last season's sugar production up to the corresponding period (221.57 lakh tonnes)".
As on March 15, ISMA said only 325 sugar mills were under operation compared with 473 mills last year at the same time due to paucity of sugarcane.
"189 sugar mills in the country have already closed their operations, out of which 31 are in Uttar Pradesh, 91 in Maharashtra, 36 in Karnataka, 10 in Bihar and remaining in other states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Uttarakhand etc," ISMA said.
According to the data, sugar mills in Maharashtra have produced 76.77 lakh tonnes till March 15 as against 84.07 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.
Production in Uttar Pradesh rose to 60.82 lakh tonnes so far as against 56.25 lakh tonnes in the same period of the previous marketing season.
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