Maharashtra Sugar Production Faces a 3 million Tonnes Drop, Crushing Season Wraps Up With Lower Extraction

The sugar crushing season, which was initially expected to be short due to factors like a lack of rains, pests, and diseases, has finally concluded. This year, the state has produced 80 lakh tonnes of sugar, a decrease of 30 lakh tonnes compared to last year. There has also been a 50% drop in sugar extraction, with the average sugar extraction this year being 9.48%. The Kolhapur division has seen the highest sugar production, with 22.46 lakh tonnes, and the highest sugar extraction of 11%. Following that, the Pune division produced 19.99 lakh tonnes of sugar, with an extraction of 9.65%.

Last year, 207 factories started the crushing season in the state, while this year, only 200 factories (99 cooperatives and 101 private) participated in the season, marking a decrease of seven factories. The crushing season, which was expected to begin on November 1, was delayed by a month due to the assembly elections and Diwali. Heavy rains during the monsoon this year resulted in increased sugarcane husking, while the sugarcane crushed this year was comparatively less due to last year's heavy rains. Additionally, the dry weather and lack of unseasonal rains this year contributed to a decrease in sugar extraction, leading to an early conclusion of the season. By April 15, 199 out of 200 factories had completed the crushing, with the exception of the Vighnahar factory in Pune district.

This year, 852.34 lakh tonnes of sugarcane were crushed, and 80.76 lakh tonnes of sugar were produced, with an average extraction rate of 9.48%. Last year, by the same time, 1,073 lakh tonnes of sugarcane were crushed, and 110 lakh tonnes of sugar were produced, with an average extraction rate of 10.25%. This represents a decrease of 30 lakh tonnes in sugar production compared to last year.

Division-wise Sugar Production (Lakh Tons) and Sugar Extraction (Percent)

Kolhapur: 22.46 lakh tons, 11.08%

Pune: 19.99 lakh tons, 9.65%

Solapur: 10.75 lakh tons, 8.13%

Ahilyanagar: 10.21 lakh tons, 8.93%

Sambhajinagar: 6.52 lakh tons, 8.03%

Nanded: 9.54 lakh tons, 9.67%

Amravati: 1.07 lakh tons, 8.97%

Nagpur: 0.19 lakh tons, 5.12%

Total: 80.76 lakh tons, 9.48%