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The sugar industry has the potential to increase its share in the GDP to 3 per cent from the current 1-1.15 per cent, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday, while emphasising on the need to raise per acre production of sugarcane. The Indian agriculture sector provides livelihood to about 42.3 per cent of the population and has a share of 18.2 per cent in the country's GDP at current prices. "The Indian sugar industry has the potential to contribute 3 per cent in the country's GDP," he said. Noting that the government has done a lot to encourage production of alternative fuel in India, the minister also said the government is now taking steps to encourage exports of ethanol. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 3 per cent increase in the procurement price for ethanol made from C-heavy molasses to Rs 57.97 per litre for the 2024-25 supply year, while keeping rates unchanged for other feedstocks. The price increase, aimed at boosting ethanol production from sugar industr
The National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) on Friday warned of an impending crisis in the sugar sector and urged the government to take immediate steps to prevent its collapse. In a letter addressed to the Union Food Secretary, the federation has highlighted the sector's severe financial stress due to mounting sugar stocks and escalating production costs. According to NFCSF, opening stocks for the 2024-25 season (October-September) stand at 80 lakh tonnes, with projected production of 325 lakh tonnes, excluding ethanol diversion. With domestic consumption estimated at 290 lakh tonnes, around 115 lakh tonnes of sugar will remain in godowns of 535 factories nationwide. The federation pointed out that while the government has increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) by 8 per cent to Rs 3,400 per tonne for 2024-25, the industry's Minimum Selling Price (MSP) has remained stagnant at Rs 31 per kg since 2018-19, despite production costs rising to Rs 41.66 per ..
India is set to host the International Sugar Organization (ISO) Council Meeting from June 25-27, in the national capital, bringing together delegates from over 30 countries to discuss critical issues in the sugar and biofuel sectors. As the world's largest consumer and second-largest producer of sugar, India has been nominated to chair the ISO for 2024, an official statement said. The event kicked off with an industrial tour to a grain-based distillery in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on June 24, demonstrating India's adoption of cutting-edge technology in biofuel production. The main proceedings begin on June 25 with a workshop titled "Sugar and Biofuels -- Emerging Vistas" at Bharat Mandapam, to be inaugurated by Union Minister for Food as well as New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi. Over 200 delegates, including international representatives, top management from Indian sugar mills, and industry associations, are expected to participate in discussions on the global sugar ...
E.I.D. Parry India Ltd has reported a consolidated profit after tax for the January-March 2024 quarter at Rs 294.30 crore, the company said. The city-based sugar manufacturer had registered a consolidated PAT at Rs 286.90 crore during the corresponding quarter of last year. Commenting on the financial performance, Managing Director S Suresh said, "the operating performance of the standalone sugar division was lower during the year as compared to the previous year on account of nil exports, higher cane cost, lower recovery from cane and change in product mix in distellery on account of change in Government policy." The overall cane crush marginally reduced during the year from 51.81 LMT metric tonne to 50.09 LMT and sugar sales reduced from 5.20 LMT (lakh metric tonne) to 4.64 LMT, he said. For the financial year ending March 31, 2024 the consolidated profit after tax fell to Rs 1,617.57 crore, from Rs 1,827.74 crore registered a year ago. The consolidated total income during the .
The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of ignoring the plight of Uttar Pradesh's once thriving sugar industry and neglecting farmers' frequent calls to increase the price of sugarcane. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Shravasti and Basti. "Why does Shravasti has the highest infant mortality rate in UP? Why have 189 primary schools in Basti been declared unusable? Why has the BJP neglected Basti's sugarcane farmers and sugar mills?" Ramesh said on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", the Congress leader said Shravasti ranks among India's most underdeveloped districts on several parameters and 96 of every 1,000 children die within a year of being born, much more than the UP's shamefully high average of 68 deaths per 1000 births. "While there should be 36 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Shravasti, 1 for every 30,000 residents, the district only has 11 PHCs, which amounts to 1 PHC for mo
Balrampur Chini Mills Limited (BCML), a leading integrated sugar mill company on Monday announced a Rs 2000 crore forward integration project which will be the first-ever "industrial bioplastic" plant in India. The Kolkata-based company said this diversification with its upcoming PLA (Polylactic Acid) manufacturing venture is well-aligned with the sustainability goals envisioned in India, to combat climate change. "The new project aims to propel India towards net zero emissions by 2070 with an estimated investment of Rs 2,000 crore in phases over the next 30 months," Balrampur Chini Executive Director Avantika Saraogi said. "Expected to be completed within 30 months, the new venture will mark the establishment of the first-ever industrial bioplastic plant in India. The state-of-the-art PLA factory will command a whopping capacity at a global scale of 75'000 tonne per annum," the company said. Despite not yet being finalized, the project will be located on a "greenfield site", bes
Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, mainly engaged in the sugar business, has posted a 7 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 137.40 crore for the December 2023 quarter and announced its foray into Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) manufacturing. Its net profit stood at Rs 147.28 crore in the year-ago period. The total income fell to Rs 1,575.55 crore in the October-December period from Rs 1,695.98 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, a regulatory filing said on Monday. Triveni Engineering is one of the leading integrated sugar manufacturers and engineered-to-order turbo gearbox manufacturers in the country. It is also into water and waste-water management business. The company's board approved "venturing into the new business of manufacturing, marketing and selling own brands in the premium segment of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as a forward integration of the distillery operations". The company would set up a bottling plant in ...
India's sugar production fell 11 per cent year-on-year to 74.05 lakh tonnes during the October 1-December 15 period of the current marketing year, mainly due to lower output in Maharashtra and Karnataka, according to industry body ISMA. The sugar marketing year runs from October to September. In a statement, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said that the sugar production till December 15 in the current 2023-24 marketing year reached 74.05 lakh tonnes against 82.95 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. The number of operating factories stood unchanged year-on-year at 497. "Notably, this year sugar factories in Maharashtra and Karnataka started around 10-15 days later compared to the last year," ISMA said. In Uttar Pradesh, sugar production has increased to 22.11 lakh tonnes till December 15 of the 2023-24 marketing year compared to 20.26 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. However, the sugar output declined in Maharashtra to 24.45 lakh tonnes from