India exports 58.10 lakh tonne sugar in Oct-April; exporters face rail wagon shortage: AISTA

Sugar mills have exported 58.10 lakh tonnes of the sweetener till date in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year that started from October 1, trade body AISTA said on Thursday.

About 6 lakh tonnes of sugar is in transit, All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said in a statement.

Mills have contracted to export 74 lakh tonnes of sugar without the government subsidy so far in the 2021-22 marketing year, it added.

The sugar marketing year runs from October to September. Sugar exports this year are being carried out without the government subsidy.

According to AISTA, the sugar mills have exported a total of 58.10 lakh tonnes of sugar from October 2021 to April 7 this year.

Of this, 49.60 lakh tonnes of shipment have been exported by sugar mills and merchant exporters directly, and 8.50 lakh tonnes were delivered to Indian refineries for refining and overseas supply, it said.         Expressing concern over shortage of rail wagons for sugar transportation for export purposes, AISTA chairman Praful Vithalani said the Railway is giving priority to wheat movement, which is affecting availability of rail wagons for sugar export, and exporters are finding it difficult to arrange wagons.

He said the international price of raw sugar is hovering around 19 cents per pound, giving an opportunity to Indian sugar mills to liquidate excess sugar stocks and pay remunerative cane price to farmers.

The government should allow maximum sugar for export after keeping 6 million tonnes as opening stock for the 2022-23 marketing year, he said.

During the 2020-21 marketing year, the country had exported a record 7.23 million tonnes of the sweetener. The maximum shipments were undertaken with the help of government subsidy.

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