India is the largest sugar producer and 2nd largest exporter of sugar production in the world. It holds the record for producing 34,300,000 tonnes of raw sugar, a part of which also gets exported across the globe.
Image source: HRS
The country is experiencing very low rainfall this monsoon season and as a water-intensive crop, sugarcane production is also getting affected. Monsoon in India is said to start from July at full force, but seeing the current condition of rainfall, farmers growing sugarcane are worried about this year’s yield.
The sugar production of the country took a hit last year and was looking to cover the deficit this year. But from the weather trends, there is a chance that the production will be reduced even more, never mind covering the deficit.
Indian States Getting Affected by low rainfalls
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are the biggest manufacturers of sugarcane in India. Even though the north is seeing an ample amount of rain, the same could not be said about the south. Due to this states like Maharashtra and Karnataka are getting affected.
Image source: Global Climate Pledge
According to the reports, Maharashtra has faced almost 71% less rainfall than normal rates in their sugarcane-growing districts as of 1 July till now. Karnatka on the other hand is also not faring too well. It is also facing a decrease of 55% in rainfall in the regions that grow sugarcane.
Last year’s sugar production was 3.3 million tonnes less than the predicted amount due to deficit rainfall and thus the country wanted to cover it in this year of production. But that hope seems to be squished as the weather does not seem to be cooperating with the season.
It can already be seen that cane production will not reach the maximum predicted amount this year either. B.B. Thombare, president of the West Indian Sugar Mills Association expressed his views with the media and said that the upcoming season will certainly see a drop in sugar production.
Image source: New Indian Express
It just needs to be seen that by the end of the monsoon, by what amount the production will be dropped. With the current trends and observations, the specialists predict that sugar production will drop by almost 8% from the normal rate of production.
Low Sugar production = Reduced Exports
As there are already predictions of lower production of Sugar, India is already taking steps to stop it from affecting the country drastically. Their main priority currently seems to be to control and prevent any inflation in the country’s economy.
The country has exported 11 million tonnes of raw sugar across the globe, but this year they have capped the maximum amount that can be exported to 6.1 million tonnes.
Less production of Sugarcane naturally means that the amount of sugar produced will be lower and thus to stop the price hike in the domestic market in regards to food, the country will not be exporting the usual amount of sugar.
Image source: pib gov
Not only that but seeing the series of reduced rainfall, many farmers have been discouraged to plant sugarcane for the next farming season. The yield is not profitable enough as sugarcane is a crop that requires a large amount of water to thrive and become healthy.
There is a risk of them switching to another crop which will affect the overall sugar production of the country. The international market of sugar helps India to support its economy as the largest producer of sugar in the world.
Sugar is an essential food product that is required by every country and India is capable of producing enough for its domestic use and export to the world as well. Lower Rainfall is expected to hit these exports and in turn, affect the economy too.
