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Pune zone tops this season's cane crushing

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Sameer Godse Pune
Last Updated : Feb 25 2013 | 11:50 PM IST
The Pune zone of the directorate of sugar is doing its level best to bridge the demand-supply mismatch which is pushing up the sugar prices sky-high.
 
"Pune zone is actively trying to bridge the gap with more and more production and the zone has registered the highest figure of cane crushing and sugar production during this season," Dinesh Oulakar, regional assistant director of sugar, Pune zone, said. Observers do not see any let up in rising sugar prices for the time being.
 
There are 40 sugar factories in Pune zone with a collective crushing capacity of about 1.13 lakh tonne per day. The Pune zone comprises Satara, Pune and Solapur districts. During this season, the zone has crushed about 102 lakh tonne of sugarcane.
 
Oulakar said the price rise in wholesale and retail markets is a mixed result of fall in production, increased demand and alternative uses of sugarcane.
 
"The draught in zones like Amravati and Nagpur is responsible for the current demand-supply mismatch. Many factories form Nagpur and Amravati have failed to crush any significant quantity of cane. An overall fall in sugar production internationally and the rising demand from China are major factors responsible for the recent hike in the prices in the country," he said.
 
On the international situation, Oulakar said China has witnessed a major fall in cane production and Brazil's thrust is on ethanol production. Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh have also started importing sugar.
 
The global demand is around pegged at 14 crore tonne and the production seems to be much lower than that this year, which resulted in a price hike.
 
"Sugar futures strongly indicate a further rise in per quintal price of he commodity, touching the Rs 2,100 level by May," he said.
 
There are 139 sugar factories in Maharashtra, with an aggregate crushing capacity of about 3.61 lakh tonne per day.
 
During the current crushing season, these factories have completed crushing of 288 lakh tonne of cane collectively and have recorded actual sugar production of 33.27 lakh tonne.
 
During the previous season 101 sugar factories had produced 18.25 lakh tonne sugar and had crushed 163 lakh tonne of cane.
 
This year the number of sugar factories engaged in crushing has increased by 38, which will ultimately lead to an increase in the daily crushing capacity by 93,000 tonne. The corresponding increase production is likely to be 15 lakh tonne.

 
 

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