Cane acreage up 4.2% on year at 5.19 mln ha. – Area under sugarcane across the country as of Thursday rose to 5.19 mln ha compared with 4.99 mln ha in the year-ago period. The acreage is higher than the normal of 4.64 mln ha for the period, and 5.01 mln ha for the entire season. The normal acreage is based on average area in the past five years. In Uttar Pradesh, which has emerged as the largest sugar producer in the past two years, cane acreage was the highest at a record 2.39 mln ha against 2.30 mln ha in the year-ago period. Sugar production in the state is also expected to touch an all-time high of around 12.5 mln tn in 2018-19 (Oct-Sep), slightly higher than 12.1 mln tn produced a year ago on the back of higher acreage.