Crushing of sugarcane in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is likely to slowdown on reduced supply to mills because of the recent heavy showers in some parts of the growing regions, industry officials said.
The recent heavy rain has hit sugarcane harvesting in many areas, leading to tight supply. Several parts of the states received heavy rainfall at the beginning of this month following low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, which also affected sowing of rabi crops, they said.
“Sugarcane harvest in northern parts of Karnataka might be halted for seven-eight days until the water recedes from fields,” said Govinda Reddy, secretary, India Sugar Mills Association, Karnataka. Currently, around 40 of the total 57 factories in Karnataka are operational, while the rest will start functioning by the end of this month, Reddy said.
Commencement of cane crushing by other mills in the state, however, will largely depend on the pace of harvest, he added. Karnataka is the third largest sugar producer after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
“Although, cane crushing might slow down for few days, there are no major concerns regarding the total sugar output from the state mainly because crop size is seen higher this year (October 2010-September 2011),” said Reddy.
Karnataka’s sugar production is seen rising 25 per cent this season to 3.2 million tonnes, with average recovery rate of around 10 per cent, Reddy said.
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The state is expected to crush around 30 million tonnes sugar cane this season.
Reddy also said higher sugarcane supplies this year have prompted some mills to boost capacity, which in turn would lead to a rise in total sugar output.
In Andhra Pradesh, the situation is similar, with preliminary reports indicating 10,000-20,000 hectares under sugarcane cultivation was inundated.
“Torrential rain has affected the cane harvest at a time when mills have not even begun operations in full swing,” said R S Bhale Rao, secretary, South India Sugar Mills Association, Andhra Pradesh.
“Cane crushing in the state is likely to get delayed by another week as growers are waiting for fields to get dried in order to start cutting,” he said.
As of now, of the 34 mills in the state, only one-two have started operations, he added. Usually, sugar mills in Andhra Pradesh begin operations from the first week of November. However, total sugar production from the state is unlikely to be affected due to higher acreage and a good monsoon this season. According to the state’s agriculture department, kharif acreage increased to 191,000 hectares from 158,000 hectares last year.
Rao sees Andhra Pradesh’s sugar output almost double from last season at 1 million tonnes, with cane output around 10 million tonnes. Rise in production is also because of rise in recovery rate to around 10 per cent from 9.3 per cent last season, Rao said.