According to a senior government official, India is expected to produce enough sugar in the upcoming season to cater to the domestic demand as well as have surplus quantities available for export, despite apprehensions about the El Nino weather phenomenon.
The sugar industry in India has expressed worry about the impact of the El Nino phenomenon on the production of sugarcane and subsequent sugar output, as this weather pattern is often linked to insufficient rainfall in the country. Nonetheless, Subodh Kumar Singh, who serves as the Joint Secretary at the Department of Food and Consumer Affairs, has attempted to alleviate these concerns.
“IMD (India Meteorological Department) has forecast a normal monsoon. So, production of sugar will also be in a normal range,” Singh told ET. “Even if production is impacted, it will not be that huge that there will be ashortage of sugar,” he added.
India, ranked as the world’s second-largest sugar producer, after Brazil, has the potential to significantly contribute to the global sugar supply through its exports. However, due to the forecast that India will not export any additional sugar during the ongoing sugar season that concludes in September, international sugar prices have surged to an 11-year high.
“Whatever (monsoon) forecast we have, we will be in a position to export some quality of sugar next year,” said Singh.
