MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s sugar output for the 2024/25 marketing year, ending in September is projected to fall below consumption for the first time in eight years because of reduced sugarcane supplies in key states, a trade body said on Tuesday.
The country is expected to produce 25.8 million metric tons of sugar, down 19.1% from the previous year, while consumption is estimated at 29 million tons, the All India Sugar Trade Association’s statement said.
Mills in Maharashtra, India’s largest sugar producer, are closing earlier than usual, with the state’s output expected to be 8 million tons, down from 11 million tons last year, the association said.
The combination of lower production than consumption and estimated exports of 1 million tons is expected to reduce India’s opening stock for the 2025/26 season to 3.78 million tons, down from 7.98 million tons a year ago, it said.
(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by David Goodman)
