India produces record over 5,000 lakh metric tons of sugarcane in sugar season 2021-22

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution a record more than 5,000 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) sugarcane was produced during the 2021-22 sugar season. 

An overview of the news

• About 394 LMT sugar was produced from about 3,574 LMT sugarcane. Out of this, 36 LMT sugar was diverted for ethanol production.

• During 2021-22, sugar mills received revenue of more than 20 thousand crore rupees from the sale of ethanol.

• During the sugar season between October and September 2021-22, India has emerged as the world's largest producer and consumer of sugar.

• India has also become the second largest sugar exporter in the world after Brazil.

• Cane dues for sugar season 2021-22 are less than Rs 2,300 crore indicating that 98% of cane dues have already been cleared. 

• For Sugar Season 2020-21, about 99.98% cane dues are cleared.

• Despite the record high international sugar prices, the domestic sugar prices are stable and are in the range of Rs 32-35 per kg.

• The average retail price of sugar in the country is around Rs 41.50/kg and is likely to remain in the range of Rs 37-43/kg in the coming months.

The largest producer of sugarcane in the world

• Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane in the world. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane.

• Brazil produced about 32 million tons of sugar in 2021-22.

Major sugarcane-producing states in India

• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka account for nearly 80 percent of the total sugar production in the country.

• The other major sugarcane-producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, and Punjab.

• Since 2010-11, India has consistently produced surplus sugar, comfortably exceeding the domestic requirements.