ISMA expects sugar prices to remain stable, sees comfortable stocks at season-end
ISMA expects India’s sugar prices to remain stable at ₹43–44/kg for the rest of the current season, supported by adequate stocks of 40–42 lakh tonnes. The industry also plans an early crushing season, while deferring its 2026–27 production forecast pending monsoon progress.
The Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has said domestic sugar prices are likely to remain largely stable for the rest of the current sugar season, citing comfortable stock levels and adequate availability.
The industry body said recent volatility in sugar prices has eased after it assured the government that there is no shortage of sugar in the country. Ex-mill sugar prices in Maharashtra have moderated to around Rs 43-43.5 per kg after briefly rising earlier this month, CNBC TV18 reported.
ISMA Director General Deepak Ballani said sugar prices are expected to remain in the Rs 43-44 per kg range for the remainder of the season.
“We believe prices will remain around Rs 43-44 per kg for the rest of the season,” Ballani said.
ISMA expects the current sugar season to end with closing stocks of around 40-42 lakh tonnes after domestic consumption of about 280 lakh tonnes and exports of nearly 8 lakh tonnes.
The association said the industry has also agreed to begin the next sugarcane crushing season slightly earlier than usual, subject to favourable weather conditions. An early start could bring fresh sugar supplies into the market by the third week of October, helping maintain adequate availability.
Meanwhile, the Centre has directed physical verification of sugar stocks at mills between August 1 and August 14. The exercise is intended to reconcile stocks reported by mills with actual inventories and validate sales data using the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system.
According to ISMA, the verification exercise is aimed at improving transparency and preventing speculation in the market rather than responding to any shortage of sugar.
On the ethanol programme, ISMA expects around 28-29 lakh tonnes of sugar to be diverted for ethanol production during the current season.
The association, however, has deferred its production forecast for the 2026-27 sugar season, citing uncertainty over the progress of the southwest monsoon. It plans to release its preliminary production estimate in the first week of September after assessing rainfall during July and August.
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Source : ChiniMandi
