Sugar output of Punjab in the current crushing season would be more or less same as compared to last year, despite increase in area. Agriculture experts are of the view that this year recovery of sugar from cane would be slightly lower due to less rainfall in the state, which is also one of the primary reasons for less output.
The total estimated area under sugarcane cultivation in Punjab is 85,000 hectares this year while last year it was 70,000 hectares. According to the data, in the current crushing season, sugar output in Punjab is likely to touch 30.70 lakh quintals (3.07 million quintals) as compared to 30.20 lakh quintals (3.02 million quintals) during the corresponding period last year. Also, the recovery is expected to be 8.75 per cent while last year it was 8.80 per cent.
Last year, increase in sugarcane area in Punjab and better recovery percentage have yielded its results, as the sugar output in the state increased dramatically over the previous year. A senior official in the cane commissioner told Business Standard that last year sugar output in the state touched 30.20 lakh quintals as compared to 18.20 lakh quintals during the previous season.
Further, last year the crop was very good, as 16 sugar mills in the state crushed 343 lakh quintals of sugarcane and the recovery was 8.80 per cent. The increase in output is mainly because of increase in area coupled with expectations of better recovery (of sugar) as compared to last year. This year, it is expected that 16 sugar mills in the state would crush 351 lakh quintals of cane. Already one of the sugar mills has started crushing and within this week, remaining will join the bandwagon.
The state has nine mills in cooperative sector with installed capacity of 15,766 TCD and seven mills in private sector having an installed capacity of 31,000 TCD (tonnes crushed per day).
In 2009-10, sugar output in Punjab touched a historic low of 18.20 lakh quintals owing to shortage in cane crop and lower crushing. Further, in 2009-10, 15 sugar mills in the state crushed 210 lakh quintals of sugarcane and the recovery rate was 8.59 per cent.
According to the state government data, the output is lowest in the state’s history after 1980-81. The data states that in 1980-81, the sugar output in the state was 5.19 lakh quintals and thereafter it kept on increasing.
The Punjab government had fixed the State Assured Price (SAP) of advanced, medium and late variety of sugarcane at Rs 230, Rs 225 and Rs 220 per quintal for the crushing season of 2011-12. It may be recalled that the state government had fixed the SAP of advanced, medium and late variety of Sugarcane at Rs 200, Rs 195 and Rs 190 per quintal for the crushing season of 2010-11.
