Sugar mills export 37.75 lakh tonnes of sweetener till March 9 of 2022-23 marketing year ending September

India has exported 37.75 lakh tonnes of sugar till March 9 of the ongoing 2022-23 marketing year ending September out of 60 lakh tonnes allowed by the government, trade body AISTA said on Monday.

Mills have exported a total of 37,75,684 tonnes of sugar between October 1, 2022 and March 9 of the 2022-23 marketing year, All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said in a statement.

The sugar marketing year runs from October to September. The government has allowed export of 60 lakh tonnes for the 2022-23 marketing year. Industry is demanding that the government should increase the export quota.

Bangladesh is the leading importer of Indian sugar so far at 5.11 lakh tonnes, followed by Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, Indonesia and UAE.

AISTA also mentioned that about 1.27 lakh tonnes is under loading, while 4.87 lakh tonnes of sugar has been delivered to refineries, considered to be deemed export in the said period, it added.

Sugar exports from India, the world's major sugar producing nation, stood at a record 112 lakh tonnes in the previous 2021-22 marketing year.

The Food Ministry has been maintaining that it would consider increasing the export quota only after assessing the domestic production and demand of sweetener.