According to M.G. Joshi, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, sugar production is likely to spike by 5 percent to 25 million tonnes in the country. The area under the crop will increase in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra -two leading sugar producing states in the country, he said.
Abdhesh Mishra ,President of the cane committee claims cane is a highly competitive crop and farmers will therefore stick with it. Even delayed payments do not bother farmers as they have basic trust in the capacity of mills to clear their dues, Mr. Mishra said.
Sources say cane production in Maharashtra will jump 26% to 85 million tonnes in 2014-2015. Sugar output may climb 17% to 9 million tonnes if the monsoon is normal, they say.
Farmers planted the crop on 565,000 hectares as of 19 March, compared with 482,000 hectares a year earlier, agriculture ministry data indicate.