In a notification issued on September 22, the government has released the first tranche of the domestic sales quota, amounting to 13 LMT, for October 2023. Sugar mills can commence immediate sales, and more quotas will be released in due course, considering market conditions.
The Food Ministry had allocated a 25 LMT monthly sugar quota to sugar mills for September 2023, whereas a 23.5 LMT monthly sugar quota was released for domestic sale in October 2022.
According to market experts, the release of the first tranche will help to keep sugar prices under control. The government is committed to ensuring sugar is available to domestic consumers at a reasonable price.
As per notification, “Opening stock as on 01.10.2023 Plus (+) Production up to 10 October, 2023 minus (-) Domestic dispatch on or before 10 October, 2023 not exceeding the quantity as mentioned in column (5) of the table in notification against respective sugar mill.”
Currently, monthly release quota is being deducted for all the sugar mills which are violating the stock holding limit orders as per the guidelines issued vide order dated 10.08.202. Further necessary action as per extant provisions under the Sugar Control order 1966 (as amended) is being taken separately.
Quota of Dhenkanal unit of Sakthi sugars Ltd. (Sl. No. 305 in the above table) has been withheld in view of the interim orders dated 04.04.2019 of the Hon’ble High Court of Orissa at Cuttack in Writ Petition No. 588 of 2019.
The group sugar producing companies having more than one sugar producing units may maintain the stock as defined in Para (1) of this Order, either unit-wise or for the group as a whole.
The sugar-mill wise Maximum quantity of white/refined sugar for domestic sale and dispatch under the Order as given in column (5) of the table, has been worked out on the basis of following parameters:
(i.)The Stock holding limit has been worked out on the basis of giving 100% weightage to the month end notional stock for the month of September, 2023.
(ii) The notional month-end stock for the month of September, 2023 has been worked out on the basis of actual month end stock for August, 2023 (as intimated by sugar mills online) and subtracting quota given for September, 2023.
All Sugar mills are informed that all sugar mills have to register and fill online P-II on National Single Window System (NSWS) portal (https://www.nsws.gov.in). If the sugar mill does not fill online information on NSWS portal for the month of September, 2023 by 8th October, 2023, domestic quota under next tranche for October 2023 will not be released to the mills. All the sugar mills/distilleries are informed that information relating to ethanol production from B-Heavy, Sugar Syrup, Sugarcane Juice shall also be filled on NSWS portal in the P-II form itself.
All sugar mills need to send a special PII in the same format as given in NSWS Portal through email at sostat.dsvo@gov.in by 12.10.2023 indicating their details of opening stock, production, sale, dispatch and closing stock of different types of sugar as on 10.10.2023. Submission of this P II is mandatory for all sugar mills.
Any violation of this order would attract the penal provisions under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, as amended from time to time.
