India's sugar production rises 11% in season 2016-17 till December 15: ISMA

Sugar production in India for 2016-17 rose 11.18 percent to 53.29 lakh tonnes between October 1 and December 15 this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year, despite an estimate earlier that the world's biggest sugar consuming country would post a fall in production for the second straight year, according to an update by the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA).

The production in sugar season (SS) 2015-16 was 47.93 lakh tonnes. The sugar season begins in October in India and ends in September.

India is the second-largest producer of the commodity in the world and production estimate for 2016-17 sugar season is 234 lakh (23.4 million) tonnes, down from 251 lakh (25 million) tonnes in the sugar season 2015-16, according to ISMA.

India's annual consumption of sugar is about 25 million tonnes.

The top sugar producing states of India are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat.

Listed Indian sugar companies include Dwarikesh Sugar Industries, Shree Renuka Sugars, EID Parry (India), Balrampur Chini Mills, Bannari Amman Sugars, DCM Shriram Industries, Bajaj Hindusthan, Simbaoli Sugars, Khaitan India and Mawana Sugars.

"In Maharashtra, 144 sugar mills are in operation and they produced 17.25 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15^th December, 2016. In 2015-16 SS, there were 164 sugar mills in operation as on 15^th December, 2015 and they had produced 22.50 lac tonnes.

"In Uttar Pradesh, as on 15^th December, 2016, 115 sugar mills have produced 17.66 lakh tonnes of sugar, double to last season's production of 8.52 lakh tonnes when 105 sugar factories were operating as on 15^th December, 2015.

"60 sugar mills in Karnataka, have produced 11 lakh tonnes of sugar till 15^th December, 2016. This is about 0.71 lakh tonnes higher than the sugar production in 2015-16 SS as on 15^th December, 2015. During the current 2016-17 SS, 60 sugar mills are in operation as on 15^th December, as compared to 61 which operated on the corresponding date of 2015," ISMA said in its statement on Friday.

Listed Indian sugar companies include Dwarikesh Sugar Industries, Shree Renuka Sugars, EID Parry (India), Balrampur Chini Mills, Bannari Amman Sugars, DCM Shriram Industries, Bajaj Hindusthan, Simbaoli Sugars, Khaitan India and Mawana Sugars. 

Some of the top sugar producing countries of the world include Brazil, Thailand and China, in addition to India.