India is expected to have a sugar closing stock of 4.8 to 5 million tonnes in 2024-25 season, sufficient to meet domestic consumption needs in October-November 2025, according to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF), reported PTI,
As of May 15 in the current 2024-25 season, sugar production reached 25.74 million tonnes, lower than 31.54 million tonnes during the same period last year, according to NFCSF.
The decline in output is attributed to a drop in sugar recovery rates and reduced availability of sugarcane for crushing. The total quantity of cane crushed has decreased to 276.77 million tonnes from 312.26 million tonnes year-on-year.
For the full 2024-25 season, the federation estimates total sugar production at around 26.11 million tonnes, a decrease from 31.9 million tonnes in the previous season.
“The closing stock by the end of the season is projected to be around 4.8 to 5 million tonnes, which will be adequate to cover domestic demand for October and November 2025,” the NFCSF stated, reported PTI.
A recovery in production is anticipated in the 2025-26 season, supported by favorable monsoon conditions and an increase in sugarcane planting in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The NFCSF has appealed to the government to increase the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar to account for rising production costs, revise ethanol procurement prices, and continue with a forward-looking export policy.
