Sugar production in the 2019-20 season is expected to hit a three-year low and decline by 19% to 26.85 million tonne as compared to 33.16 million tonne in the previous season, Indian Sugar Mills’ Association (Isma) said , blaming erratic rainfall and floods in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the two main cane growing states, for the decline in total cane acreage.
Production in 2017-18 was 32.45 million tonne. Isma, which had earlier released preliminary estimates of sugar production at 28.20 million tonne for sugar season 2019-20, has lowered its figures on sugar production for the season after considering the estimates on sugarcane acreage, yields, recovery, cane drawal, rainfall and other factors. In July 2019, Isma had released its preliminary estimates of production at 28.20 million tonne for sugar season 2019-20, based on the first survey of satellite mapping carried out in June, assuming normal monsoon in 2019.
