Govt to soon announce sugar export policy for next season

New Delhi, Sept 20 (KNN) The government will soon announce the sugar export policy for the next season, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said on Monday.

Speaking at the 82th AGM of Roller Flour Millers Federation of India (RFMFI), Pandey said that the centre will also be revealing the export quota of sugar for next marketing year soon. He however did not disclose the quantity of sugar that will be allowed for export in 2022-23 marketing year.

In May, the government had allowed exports of 100 lakh tonne of sugar, but later allowed another 12 lakh tonne. This took the total export quota for 2021-22 marketing year to 112 lakh tonne.

India's sugar exports stood at 70 lakh tonne in 2020-21 marketing year, 59 lakh tonne in 2019-20 and 38 lakh tonne in 2018-19.

Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) president Aditya Jhunjhunwala in a letter to the Food and Consumer Affairs Minister earlier this month appealed to the government to allow exports of 80 lakh tonne of sugar for 2022-23 marketing year in view of surplus production.

As per preliminary estimate, Jhunjhunwala said the net sugar production, without considering the diversion of sugar for production of ethanol, is expected to increase to about 400 lakh

However, he said 45 lakh tonne of sugar are expected to get diverted for ethanol in 2022-23 as against 34 lakh tonne in current marketing year.

This means that actual sugar production in 2022-23 would be 355 lakh tonne, the ISMA president said.

Exports of surplus sugar would also help in maintaining domestic sugar prices, which in turn will boost liquidity position of mills, enabling them to pay sugarcane farmers on time.  (KNN Bureau)