The country’s sugar production has touched a record 29.98 MMT till April 15 in the current season on higher sugarcane output, resulting in arrears to farmers burgeoning to INR 20,000 crore. The industry body demanded the government provide production-linked incentive to cane farmers as it did in 2015-16 marketing year (October to September). Sugar output of India, the world’s second largest producer, was 20.3 mt in 2016-17. against an annual domestic demand estimated at 25 MMT. Sugar production in the current season has crossed the expected levels at 299.80 lakh tonnes. As many as 227 sugar mills were still crushing sugarcane. Sugar production in Maharashtra has almost reached its past record and mills produced 10.49 MMT up to April 15, 2018. Mills in Uttar Pradesh produced a record 10.48 MMT of sugar.