India’s sugar production has reached 193.05 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), with a few mills closing their crushing operations.
As of January 31, 2026, sugar mills had crushed 2119.04 LMT of sugarcane, compared with 1856.70 LMT during the same period last year. In the ongoing season, 508 sugar mills are currently in operation, according to data released by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited (NFCSF).
Total 18 sugar mills including 15 in Karnataka, 2 in Uttar Pradesh and one in Gujarat have concluded their crushing.
Sugar output during the period stood at 193.05 LMT, up from 165.30 LMT a year earlier. The average sugar recovery rate reached 9.11% by January 31, improving from 8.90% recorded on the corresponding date last year.
In Uttar Pradesh, sugar production reached 55.10 LMT after crushing 559.39 LMT of sugarcane, with an average recovery rate of 9.85%. Maharashtra produced 78.95 LMT of sugar after crushing 867.58 LMT of cane, achieving an average recovery of 9.10%. Karnataka recorded sugar output of 35.60 LMT after crushing 436.81 LMT of sugarcane, with an average recovery rate of 8.15%.
The gross sugar production at the end of the current season (September 2026) is anticipated to be 350 LMT, going by Cycle-1, ethanol allocation, around 35 LMT of sugar is expected to be diverted for ethanol production, thus recording net sugar production of 315 LMT.
