Sugar production in the country has increased 25.37 per cent in the first four months of the current marketing season. The produce has amounted to 17.68 million tonnes, which is considerably higher than the production of 14.10 million tonnes in the same period a year ago, said industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) in a statement.  

Sugar sales are reported to be more or less similar to last year at around 6.75 million tonnes during October-December of the ongoing marketing season. For the 2020-21 marketing season, ISMA has pegged the country's total sugar output to be 30.2 million tonnes, higher than the actual production of 27.42 million tonnes achieved in the 2019-20 marketing season.

According to ISMA, about 491 sugar mills were in operation till January of this marketing season, as against 447 sugar mills in the year-ago period. Production in Uttar Pradesh, the country's leading sugar producer, remained slightly lower at 5.44 million tonnes till January of this season, as against 5.49 million tonnes a year ago.

However, production in Maharashtra, the country's second-largest sugar producer, increased substantially to 6.38 million tonnes from 3.46 million tonnes in the said period. Whereas production in Karnataka, the country's third-largest sugar producer, also increased to 3.43 million tonnes till January from 2.79 million tonnes. Sugar production stood at 5,55,000 tonnes in Gujarat, while the collective output in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was 3,56,000 tonnes in the said period.