Maharashtra: State sugar production falls, pegged at 90L tonnes next season
Maharashtra’s 2026-27 sugar production estimate has been cut to 90.18 lakh tonnes from 102.5 lakh tonnes due to inadequate rainfall and deteriorating cane quality. Sugarcane output is projected at 1,127 lakh tonnes, with a 9.5% recovery rate, raising concerns over supply and production targets.
PUNE: Maharashtra’s sugar production for the 2026-27 season is projected to fall by nearly nine lakh tonnes from the previous season, with the state sugar commissionerate revising its estimate to 90.18 lakh tonnes amid concerns over poor rainfall and deteriorating sugarcane quality.
The revised estimate is significantly lower than the 102.5 lakh tonnes the commissionerate projected in September. The state government directed the department to reassess the production outlook following inadequate rainfall.
Maharashtra produced over 99 lakh tonnes of sugar in the 2025-26 season, topping all states in the country.
State sugar commissioner Sanjay Kolte confirmed to HT that the revised estimate was finalised based on sugarcane availability data up to August.
“Sugar production in the state is likely to decline next season due to agro-climatic conditions,” Kolte said on Monday.
Official sources said the department was compiling data on sugarcane availability for September. The estimates could undergo minor changes once the data is incorporated, they added.
According to the revised projection, Maharashtra is expected to produce around 1,127 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in the next season, with the area under cultivation estimated at over 15.43 lakh hectares. The average yield is projected at 74 tonnes per hectare, while the sugar recovery rate is estimated at 9.5%, meaning 100 kg of sugarcane will yield 9.5 kg of sugar.
In the 2025-26 season, sugarcane production stood at 1,316 lakh tonnes, with cultivation spread across more than 16 lakh hectares. The average yield was 95 tonnes per hectare.
The revised production outlook comes amid a rise in sugar prices in the state’s markets, raising questions over supply during the upcoming season. While the Centre’s intervention has helped stabilise retail prices, a decline in production could put pressure on the market if supplies fall short of demand.
“The Centre has advanced the start of the sugar crushing season to October 15 from November 1 to ensure adequate sugar availability during the festive season. We do not foresee any sharp rise in retail sugar prices in the domestic market,” sources in the sugar commissionerate said, adding that some mills had already begun crushing operations.
The Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Factories Federation (MSCSFF), however, said achieving the projected output would be challenging for the state’s more than 200 private and cooperative sugar mills.
“The sugar mills will make all-out efforts to produce more sugar than estimated by the sugar commissionerate. However, the quality of sugarcane has deteriorated significantly due to inadequate rainfall and rising temperatures. This could affect the recovery rate and, in turn, hamper sugar production,” said Pratap Ohol, vice-chairman of the MSCSFF.
Ohol said sugarcane cultivation in some belts depended heavily on good rainfall for healthy crop growth. Inadequate rain had affected crop development in these areas, he added.
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Source : Hindustan Times
