India’s sugar output has fallen sharply this year, with a decline of 18% compared to last season, according to data from the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF). As of April 15, 2025, the country has produced 25.42 million tones (MT) of sugar, down from 31.16 MT at the same time last year.

This drop in production is mainly due to the early shutdown of sugar mills. Out of 533 mills that were working this season, 496 have already closed. Last year, 461 mills had closed by this time. Currently, only 37 mills are still crushing sugarcane, compared to 74 mills last year.So far, 271.3 MT of sugarcane has been crushed this season, while last year the figure stood higher at 306.6 MT. The sugar recovery rate has also gone down, This year it is 9.37%, compared to 10.16% last year.

State-wise Sugar Output:
Uttar Pradesh produced 9.1 MT, down 10.8% from 10.2 MT last year.
Maharashtra  Saw the biggest drop, producing only 8.1 MT, down 25.7% from 10.9 MT.
Karnataka produced 4.0 MT, a fall of 21.6% from 5.1 MT last season.

These state-level reductions have contributed to a nationwide sugar shortfall of 5.8 MT.