MUMBAI (Reuters) – More than two dozen mills in Maharashtra state, India’s top sugar producer, had halted cane crushing by the end of February, nearly two months earlier than last year, due to adverse weather, one official said. senior state government official.
The early closures suggest that Maharashtra will produce much less sugar than the initial estimate of 13.8 million tonnes and will reduce the country’s total production.
Lower sugar production could prevent the world’s second-biggest exporter from allowing additional shipments, potentially propping up global prices and opening up space for rivals Brazil and Thailand to increase their exports.
The western state of Maharashtra, which accounts for more than a third of India’s sugar production, produced 9.51 million tonnes of sugar in the 2022/23 marketing year, which started Oct. tonnes over the same period last season, a senior government official told Reuters on Thursday.
“In the Solapur division, 13 plants have closed and another 20 will close in a fortnight,” said the state government official, who declined to be identified.
All but about two dozen mills in the state will close operations by the end of March, the official said.
Sugar mills in Maharashtra were operational until mid-June in 2021/22, when they harvested a record crop.
(By Rajendra Jadhav)
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Source:
Reuters