India's October to November sugar production rises by 43% due to higher recovery rates

Leading industry bodies reported on Tuesday that India's sugar output in the first two month of the season 2025/26, which began October 1, was up 43% compared to a year ago, due to better recovery rates and quicker crushing in major producing states.

It is anticipated that the higher production will allow the second largest sugar producer in world to export excess supplies without fear of shortages at home, but it could impact global prices.

The Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association said that mills produced 4.1 millions metric tons of the sweetener by the end November. This is up from the 2.88 million tonnes of last year.

The ISMA reported that the production in Maharashtra in western India, India's largest sugar producing state, has more than tripled since last year, to 1.7 millions tons. In Uttar Pradesh, it increased by 9% to 1.4million tons.

The production of cane in Karnataka, a southern state, fell to 774,000 tonnes from 812,000 tonnes a year ago, due to farmer protests for higher prices.

According to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, the sugar recovery rate for the first two month of the season was 8.51% as compared to the 8.29% recorded a year earlier.

Sugar recovery rate is a key industry indicator that measures the amount of sugar extracted from sugarcane stalks.

NFCSF stated that the government should allow 1 million additional metric tons in sugar exports for the current season, as the lower diversion of sugar to ethanol is creating an exportable surplus.

India allowed 1.5 million metric tonnes of sugar to be exported in the current season last month, but mills are still struggling to find export deals because global prices remain lower than domestic rates.

ISMA has called on New Delhi to increase the sugar floor price in the domestic market, as the price has been unchanged for over six years despite rising production costs. (Reporting and editing by Christian Schmollinger; Rajendra Jadhav)

(source: Reuters)