New Delhi, March 17 India's sugar production reached 26.21 million tonnes so far in the ongoing 2025-26 marketing year, up by 10.5 per cent from the previous year, the industry body ISMA said on Tuesday.
Sugar output has already exceeded the total net production of 26.12 million tonnes in the full 2024-25 marketing year (October-September).
Crushing operations were underway as 157 mills were operational as of March 15, while 379 mills remained closed.
According to the Indian Sugar and Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), mills have manufactured 26.21 million tonnes of sugar as of March 15 of the 2025-26 marketing year, compared to 23.72 million tonnes in the previous year.
As the sugar season progresses and enters its final phase, the industry body said it continues to expect an early upward revision of the Minimum Selling Price (MSP).
"With production costs increasing and ex-mill realizations lagging, mills are facing mounting cash-flow pressures, leading to higher cane payment arrears," it said in a statement.
In Maharashtra, arrears stood at Rs 4,898 crore as of February 28, higher than Rs 2,849 crore on the same date in the previous year.
"A timely MSP revision aligned with current cost structures is crucial to restore mill viability, expedite farmer payments, and maintain market stability, without any additional fiscal burden on the government," ISMA noted.
According to industry data, sugar production in Maharashtra, the country's largest producing state, rose to 9.84 million tonnes as of March 15 of the 2025-26 marketing year, from 7.87 million tonnes in the previous year.
Production in Uttar Pradesh, the country's second largest sugar-producing state, stood at 8.13 million tonnes, while that in Karnataka was 4.60 million tonnes during the said period.
ISMA said that some mills in South Karnataka are expected to resume operations during the special season from June/July to September 2026.